Natalie Junior Earns A-10 Lax Preseason All-Conference
1/31/2020 3:21:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Gavin McFarlin- Associate SID
DavidsonPhotos.com
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Davidson's Natalie Junior on Friday was named to the 2020 Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference team for women's lacrosse, as the league office released its preseason poll and all-conference team. The Wildcats as a team were picked seventh in the poll conducted by the league's 10 head coaches.
Junior becomes the first Wildcat to earn preseason honors since they joined the A-10 in 2014-15.
"Natalie has been an exceptional leader and defender for us over the past two seasons," said head coach Kim Wayne. "Her work ethic, voice and knowledge of the game have helped our underclassmen transition into our young defensive unit. I'm thrilled the A-10 coaches see what Natalie has done the past two season and what she brings to our team, it's a great honor for her."
A native of Wayne, Pa., Junior has enjoyed a solid first two seasons as one of the league's top defenders. She earned all-second team honors a year ago after starting 16 games with 30 groundballs and 11 draw controls, while tying for the team-lead with 19 caused turnovers. Five times last year Junior had four or more groundballs in a game, including tying a career-high with six at VCU.
In 2018, Junior broke onto the scene as a freshman and earned A-10 All-Rookie Team honors with classmate Olivia Carey. She stepped right into the starting lineup, starting all 19 games, while leading the team with 29 caused turnovers, the seventh-most in a single season. The defender added 39 groundballs and 32 draw controls, ranking second and third, respectively, on the team. Junior helped the Wildcats to the second-most groundballs in the Atlantic 10, and recorded 11 multi-groundball games and had nine multi-draw control games.
Davidson, coming off an 8-9 season last year (2-7 in A-10), was picked between VCU and George Washington.
Richmond was the preseason pick by the coaches to win the league and received 95 points in the poll with six first-place votes. Massachusetts (94) took the second spot in the poll with the remaining four first-place votes followed by Saint Joseph's (76) in third. George Mason (73) and Duquesne (56) took the fourth and fifth spots followed by VCU (44), Davidson (41) and George Washington (31). La Salle and St. Bonaventure rounded out the poll.
Richmond returns in 2020 as the two-time defending A-10 Champion after a thrilling comeback overtime victory in last season's championship game against UMass.
The preseason all-conference team was made up of three student-athletes from each field position (attack, midfield, defense), one goalie, and the next two highest vote getters.
The 2020 A-10 Lacrosse Championship will be hosted by VCU in Richmond, Va.
2020 Preseason Poll
Richmond (6)
Massachusetts (4)
Saint Joseph's
George Mason
Duquesne
VCU
Davidson
George Washington
La Salle
St. Bonaventure
Preseason All-Conference Team
Attack:
Deanna Balsama, George Mason
Kaitlyn Cerasi, Massachusetts
Sam Geiersbach, Richmond
Midfield:
Maddie Hart, Duquesne
Erin Donoghue, George Mason
Stephanie Croke, Massachusetts
Madison Ostrick, Richmond
Bridget Cerciello, Saint Joseph's
Defense:
Natalie Junior, Davidson
Sydney Reed, Duquesne
Brittany Wright, Richmond
Goalie:
Melissa Semkiw, George Mason
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Davidson's Natalie Junior on Friday was named to the 2020 Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference team for women's lacrosse, as the league office released its preseason poll and all-conference team. The Wildcats as a team were picked seventh in the poll conducted by the league's 10 head coaches.
Junior becomes the first Wildcat to earn preseason honors since they joined the A-10 in 2014-15.
"Natalie has been an exceptional leader and defender for us over the past two seasons," said head coach Kim Wayne. "Her work ethic, voice and knowledge of the game have helped our underclassmen transition into our young defensive unit. I'm thrilled the A-10 coaches see what Natalie has done the past two season and what she brings to our team, it's a great honor for her."
A native of Wayne, Pa., Junior has enjoyed a solid first two seasons as one of the league's top defenders. She earned all-second team honors a year ago after starting 16 games with 30 groundballs and 11 draw controls, while tying for the team-lead with 19 caused turnovers. Five times last year Junior had four or more groundballs in a game, including tying a career-high with six at VCU.
In 2018, Junior broke onto the scene as a freshman and earned A-10 All-Rookie Team honors with classmate Olivia Carey. She stepped right into the starting lineup, starting all 19 games, while leading the team with 29 caused turnovers, the seventh-most in a single season. The defender added 39 groundballs and 32 draw controls, ranking second and third, respectively, on the team. Junior helped the Wildcats to the second-most groundballs in the Atlantic 10, and recorded 11 multi-groundball games and had nine multi-draw control games.
Davidson, coming off an 8-9 season last year (2-7 in A-10), was picked between VCU and George Washington.
Richmond was the preseason pick by the coaches to win the league and received 95 points in the poll with six first-place votes. Massachusetts (94) took the second spot in the poll with the remaining four first-place votes followed by Saint Joseph's (76) in third. George Mason (73) and Duquesne (56) took the fourth and fifth spots followed by VCU (44), Davidson (41) and George Washington (31). La Salle and St. Bonaventure rounded out the poll.
Richmond returns in 2020 as the two-time defending A-10 Champion after a thrilling comeback overtime victory in last season's championship game against UMass.
The preseason all-conference team was made up of three student-athletes from each field position (attack, midfield, defense), one goalie, and the next two highest vote getters.
The 2020 A-10 Lacrosse Championship will be hosted by VCU in Richmond, Va.
2020 Preseason Poll
Richmond (6)
Massachusetts (4)
Saint Joseph's
George Mason
Duquesne
VCU
Davidson
George Washington
La Salle
St. Bonaventure
Preseason All-Conference Team
Attack:
Deanna Balsama, George Mason
Kaitlyn Cerasi, Massachusetts
Sam Geiersbach, Richmond
Midfield:
Maddie Hart, Duquesne
Erin Donoghue, George Mason
Stephanie Croke, Massachusetts
Madison Ostrick, Richmond
Bridget Cerciello, Saint Joseph's
Defense:
Natalie Junior, Davidson
Sydney Reed, Duquesne
Brittany Wright, Richmond
Goalie:
Melissa Semkiw, George Mason
Players Mentioned
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