Wayne, Carey Headline A-10 Awards; 'Cats Collect 10 Honors
4/29/2021 3:01:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- Davidson lacrosse proved its depth this season with the Wildcats collecting 10 Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors, including head coach Kim Wayne and freshman Julianne Carey being named the league's Coach-of-the-Year and Rookie-of-the-Year, respectively, the conference announced Thursday.
Wayne and Carey's major A-10 awards are firsts for the program, and the team's 10 All-Conference nods, among eight individuals, are the most earned by the program since joining the league in 2014-15.
Senior midfielder Sam Rippley and team captain Natalie Junior earned First Team recognition, while sophomore Erin Cooke and senior defender Izzy Lozano were named to the Second Team. Carey, Cooke and Noelle Cegielski were also recognized on the conference's All-Rookie team, and senior captain Olivia Carey rounded out the awards with an All-Academic Team nod.
"I am thankful and grateful that the A-10 coaches recognized my players the way they did," said Wayne. "This season has been an unbelievably hard, yet special season for all 34 of my players. With the addition of adding sophomores to the rookie team, I am beyond grateful that Julianne was recognized after being named A-10 Rookie of the Week on seven different occasions. Natalie, Sam, Izzy, Noelle and Liv were put up against a very talented group, but they are extremely deserving of their awards. So thank you to the coaches for recognizing them."
Having previously won the Big South's Coach of the Year honor in 2013, Wayne led the 2021 Wildcats through their winningest A-10 season (6-1) and recorded the highest single-season winning percentage in her head coaching tenure (11-3, .785). En route to this season's success, the New York native and 13-year head coach picked up her 100th career victory when the Wildcats defeated Virginia Tech, earning the program's first-ever win over a ranked opponent.
"The Coach-of-the-Year award should truly go to the coaching staff of the year, as this year would not have gone the way it did without the help of my assistant, Nikki Boltja," Wayne added. "Thank you, Nikki for all that you do for this team and our attack, and thank you coaches for recognizing the amazing season my team had. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."
Julianne Carey made an immediate splash in the league during her freshman year, garnering seven A-10 Rookie of the Week titles and setting a new conference record for most weekly honors collected by a freshman in a single season. The Pennsylvania native currently ranks third on the team in points and assists (39 P, 14 A) and is fourth in goals (25 G), while leading the 'Cats with 61 draw controls. Carey's success on the draw also ranks top-5 among all A-10 players as the rookie has played a critical role in Davidson's successful season, helping the 'Cats enter the league tournament with their highest seed in program history.
Davidson's 31.5 shots per game and 14.8 goals per game has been backed by the stellar offensive display of Rippley and Cooke this season. As a duo, the two have combined for 96 points as Rippley leads the team with 41 goals and Cooke leads the attack with 20 assists. Rippley reached her 100th career point milestone earlier this season, and had a memorable five-goal performance, including the game-winner, in Davidson's first win over High Point since 2016, while Cooke enters the postseason on an eight-game streak of recording three or more points.
Seniors Junior and Lozano have anchored the Wildcats' dynamic defense in 2021, as Davidson ranks 18th nationally in scoring defense, with 9.93 goals allowed per game, while Junior ranks 16th in the nation with 2.00 caused turnovers per game. Rookie defender and former A-10 Rookie of the Week, Cegielski, has also aided the 'Cats in their defensive efforts, playing a pivotal role in Davidson's clearing unit (224-269, .833).
Captain Olivia Carey will end a tremendous four-year career with an All-Academic Team honor from the A-10, as the Blue Bell, Pa. native is second on the team with 16 assists and recently celebrated her 125th career point milestone. The senior economics major serves as Co-President of ShEcon, Davidson's women in economics club, and has volunteered at the Community School of Davidson and with Harlem Lacrosse throughout her Wildcat tenure.
Celebrating all-conference honors is not the end of the Wildcats' season however, as Davidson hit the road on Thursday afternoon to travel to Amherst, Mass., to take on the UMass Minutewomen in the A-10 semifinals on Friday, April 30 at 4 p.m.
For the A-10's official release, and to see the complete list of all-conference teams, visit atlantic10.com. Stay up to date this weekend with all things Davidson lacrosse at @DavidsonLax on Twitter and @Davidsonwlax on Instagram.
Wayne and Carey's major A-10 awards are firsts for the program, and the team's 10 All-Conference nods, among eight individuals, are the most earned by the program since joining the league in 2014-15.
Senior midfielder Sam Rippley and team captain Natalie Junior earned First Team recognition, while sophomore Erin Cooke and senior defender Izzy Lozano were named to the Second Team. Carey, Cooke and Noelle Cegielski were also recognized on the conference's All-Rookie team, and senior captain Olivia Carey rounded out the awards with an All-Academic Team nod.
"I am thankful and grateful that the A-10 coaches recognized my players the way they did," said Wayne. "This season has been an unbelievably hard, yet special season for all 34 of my players. With the addition of adding sophomores to the rookie team, I am beyond grateful that Julianne was recognized after being named A-10 Rookie of the Week on seven different occasions. Natalie, Sam, Izzy, Noelle and Liv were put up against a very talented group, but they are extremely deserving of their awards. So thank you to the coaches for recognizing them."
Having previously won the Big South's Coach of the Year honor in 2013, Wayne led the 2021 Wildcats through their winningest A-10 season (6-1) and recorded the highest single-season winning percentage in her head coaching tenure (11-3, .785). En route to this season's success, the New York native and 13-year head coach picked up her 100th career victory when the Wildcats defeated Virginia Tech, earning the program's first-ever win over a ranked opponent.
"The Coach-of-the-Year award should truly go to the coaching staff of the year, as this year would not have gone the way it did without the help of my assistant, Nikki Boltja," Wayne added. "Thank you, Nikki for all that you do for this team and our attack, and thank you coaches for recognizing the amazing season my team had. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings."
Julianne Carey made an immediate splash in the league during her freshman year, garnering seven A-10 Rookie of the Week titles and setting a new conference record for most weekly honors collected by a freshman in a single season. The Pennsylvania native currently ranks third on the team in points and assists (39 P, 14 A) and is fourth in goals (25 G), while leading the 'Cats with 61 draw controls. Carey's success on the draw also ranks top-5 among all A-10 players as the rookie has played a critical role in Davidson's successful season, helping the 'Cats enter the league tournament with their highest seed in program history.
Davidson's 31.5 shots per game and 14.8 goals per game has been backed by the stellar offensive display of Rippley and Cooke this season. As a duo, the two have combined for 96 points as Rippley leads the team with 41 goals and Cooke leads the attack with 20 assists. Rippley reached her 100th career point milestone earlier this season, and had a memorable five-goal performance, including the game-winner, in Davidson's first win over High Point since 2016, while Cooke enters the postseason on an eight-game streak of recording three or more points.
Seniors Junior and Lozano have anchored the Wildcats' dynamic defense in 2021, as Davidson ranks 18th nationally in scoring defense, with 9.93 goals allowed per game, while Junior ranks 16th in the nation with 2.00 caused turnovers per game. Rookie defender and former A-10 Rookie of the Week, Cegielski, has also aided the 'Cats in their defensive efforts, playing a pivotal role in Davidson's clearing unit (224-269, .833).
Captain Olivia Carey will end a tremendous four-year career with an All-Academic Team honor from the A-10, as the Blue Bell, Pa. native is second on the team with 16 assists and recently celebrated her 125th career point milestone. The senior economics major serves as Co-President of ShEcon, Davidson's women in economics club, and has volunteered at the Community School of Davidson and with Harlem Lacrosse throughout her Wildcat tenure.
Celebrating all-conference honors is not the end of the Wildcats' season however, as Davidson hit the road on Thursday afternoon to travel to Amherst, Mass., to take on the UMass Minutewomen in the A-10 semifinals on Friday, April 30 at 4 p.m.
For the A-10's official release, and to see the complete list of all-conference teams, visit atlantic10.com. Stay up to date this weekend with all things Davidson lacrosse at @DavidsonLax on Twitter and @Davidsonwlax on Instagram.
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