Women's Lacrosse

2020 ODAC Spring Wrap-Up | Women's Lacrosse

2020 ODAC Spring Wrap-Up | Women's Lacrosse
Posted: Apr 22, 2020

FOREST, Va. --- Spring sports have been extraordinarily successful for the ODAC and its member schools in recent seasons, lending to a lot of excitement as the weather turns warmer in the final third of the academic year. That was true of the 2020 campaign as well before competition was halted due to the climate surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, some of the ODAC's best teams and student-athletes did take to their respective arenas and gave us a glimpse of what could have been an outstanding season.

In the first installment of a series of season wrap-up features designed at recognizing some of those early achievements in the conference's spring sports, we take a look at the ODAC's women's lacrosse programs.

In addition to the sections below showcasing a conference-wide view of the sport, wrap-ups and features from our member schools will be included to provide a more in-depth perspective for each program. The school features are posted at the bottom of this release and will be included as they become available.

BEGINNING THE SEASON UNBEATEN

Both Shenandoah University and Ferrum College kicked off their campaigns with unblemished starts. The Hornets jumped out to a 7-0 start that included an 11-10 nailbiting triumph over Christopher Newport University and additional victories against strong programs throughout the Northeast and Atlantic regions. The Panthers sliced thru a trio of South region competitors before closing its season with a 15-2 thumping of Delaware Valley University.

WE STARTED STRONG, TOO

Guilford College and Washington and Lee University each lost just once in their opening slates of games. The Quakers won their first five outings and finished 6-1. They carved up five South region opponents to run out to that early streak and averaged nearly 18 goals a game in doing it.

The Generals began their campaign with four ranked opponents in six games as they went 5-1 thru that gauntlet. Referencing their opponents' final season rankings, the Generals took down 14th-ranked University of Mary Washington (17-10), #7 Salisbury University (10-7), and #6 Gettysburg College (12-9). W&L's lone loss came in a 9-8 thriller to #4 Franklin & Marshall College.

Washington and Lee was the lone ODAC team to garner a ranking by the Intercollege Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). The Generals started the year ranked eighth and remained there thru the first week of play. They climbed to #6 by the third survey and capped the season as the fourth-rated squad over the final two polls. Defending national champion Middlebury College was a unanimous #1 in all instances of the 2020 poll.

WE BARELY JUST BEGAN...LITERALLY!

The 2020 season marked the inaugural campaign for Eastern Mennonite University in women's lacrosse. While the Royals only got to play twice, they did host their first home game on March 11 and posted the program's first victory that day with a 15-10 triumph over Bethany College (W.Va.). Congratulations!

ODAC/VIRGINIA FARM BUREAU INSURANCE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE

Guilford midfielder Abigail Horchar was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year from the league's athletic communications personnel. Horchar maintains a 3.92 grade point average as a chemistry major with a minor in integrated sciences. The Palm City, Fla., native is the recipient of two Guilford scholarships -- Charles A. Dana Scholarship for academic excellence and leadership potential, and the Ljung Scholarship for excellence and service in chemistry. Also a member of the Quakers swimming team, Horchar served on Guilford's SAAC. She is a perennial member of the Guilford Student-Athlete Honor Roll and six-time honoree on Guilford's dean's list. She will be a four-time honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team.

On the field, Horchar scored 17 goals and dished out seven assists with nine draw controls, 11 ground balls, and 10 caused turnovers while seeing action in all seven games this season. Her career numbers stand at 65 goals, 25 assists, 64 ground balls, 38 draw controls, and 36 caused turnovers in 55 games played including 39 starts. She is 25th in Guilford history with 90 career points.

DEVELOPING STORYLINES AND PLAYERS WE WOULD HAVE FOLLOWED

  • Washington and Lee's Defense | The Generals were set to defend their 10th straight ODAC title in 2020. They have won a league-best 20 ODAC crowns including 17 since 2001. They have appeared in every ODAC final since that season. Additionally, Randolph-Macon College has been W&L's opponent each of the past five championship games.
  • Washington and Lee's Defense, Take 2 | Led by reigning ODAC Defensive Player of the Year, Caitlin Anderson, as well as All-ODAC defender Catherine Arrix and goalkeeper Elliot Gilbert, the Generals limited their four nationally ranked opponents to less than nine goals per game and held Christopher Newport to just four tallies. Only Mary Washington reached double figures in W&L's 17-10 victory.
  • Shenandoah's Attack Led by Alyson Bittinger and Nikki Zerna | Shenandoah's aforemotioned 7-0 start was powered by the second most points (165), goals (113), and assists (52) in the ODAC. Alyson Bittinger and Nikki Zerna had formed a potent 1-2 punch spearheading the Hornets' attack. Bittinger was leading the conference with 33 goals scored and 36 points, while Zerna was second in the ODAC with 15 assists and 10th with 21 points.
  • Guilford's Resurgence Behind Madison Iandoli and Audrey Helfenbein | Much like Shenandoah, the Quakers have their own dynamic duo leading their offense. Madison Iandoli and Audrey Helfenbein were second and third, respectively, in the ODAC in points. Iandoli had racked up 23 goals and 11 assists along with an ODAC-best 69 draw controls. Helfenbein had scored 13 times with a league-leading 17 helpers. Guilford led the ODAC in points (170), goals, (114), and assists (56).

RANK 'EM

The following list of players were ranked inside NCAA Division III's top-50 in a major statistical category.

  • Mikaela Brooks, BC | 18th in saves (66); 31st in save pct. (.528); 42nd in saves/game (11.00)
  • Erin Reynolds, FC | 39th in caused turnovers/game (3.00)
  • Amanda Thomas, FC | 31st in GAA (7.60)
  • Kersten Daneau, GC | 28th in GAA (7.51)
  • Nia Gill, GC | 37th in caused turnovers/game (3.14)
  • Audrey Helfenbein, GC| 12th in assists (17); 47th in points (30); 48th in assists/game (2.43)
  • Madison Iandoli, GC | 5th in draw controls/game (9.86); 27th in points (34); 40th in goals (23); 49th in assists (11)
  • Leah Dumas, LYN | 27th in free-position pct. (.833)
  • Emily Laframboise, RAND | 37th in points/game (6.00)
  • Sarah Perry, RAND| 17th in goals/game (5.25); 19th in drawn controls/game (7.75); 45th in ground balls/game (4.75)
  • Chrissy Shackleford, RAND| 13th in saves/game (13.25); 50th in saves (53)
  • Lilly Blair, RC | 20th in goals/game (5.20); 25th in goals (26)
  • Molly Kasemeyer, RC | 39th in assists (12); 50th in assists/game (2.40)
  • Jenna Kuczo, RC | 22nd in free position pct. (.875)
  • Alyson Bittinger, SU | 8th in goals (33); 18th in points (36); 24th in free position pct. (.857); 32nd in goals/game (4.71)
  • Ashley MacFarlane, SU | 6th in save pct. (.613); 14th in GAA (5.89)
  • Nikki Zerna, SU| 20th in assists (15)
  • Kaylah Bailey, SBC | 17th in goals (29); 40th in points (31)
  • Victoria Lawson, SBC | 26th in assists (14)
  • Jordan Moilanen, VWU | 25th in saves (62)
  • Caitlin Anderson, W&L | 39th in caused turnovers/game (3.00)
  • Elliot Gilbert, W&L | 30th in GAA (7.56); 43rd in save pct. (.512)
  • Landon Shelley, W&L | 26th in assists (14)

THE ODAC HAS SOME REALLY GOOD COACHES

Good coaching is a staple up and down the ODAC's ranks of sponsored sports. From promising newcomers to those with established cultures and even a with hall of fame credentials, there are no shortage of quality mentors for the league's student-athletes.

In women's lacrosse, four active coaches have earned ODAC Coach of the Year honors. Washington and Lee's Brooke O'Brien has claimed seven honors including each of the past four. Randolph-Macon's MK Geratowski took home the plaque in 2015, while University of Lynchburg head coach Bruce Reid received the 2010 honor. Roanoke College mentor Mary Schwartz won the honor in 2009.

Schwartz is the leader in career wins with 206. O'Brien, who owns 188 career victories, would have likely eclipsed the 200-win mark with a full season of competition. O'Brien leads the ODAC in winning percentage at .774, and is one of 10 coaches with a .500 winning percentage or better.

Below is a snapshot of the ODAC's active head coaches and their career records thru this season.

  • Rachael Bragg, BC| 18-22 (.450) in 3 seasons
  • Katie Russo, EMU | 1-1 (.500) in 1 season
  • Karen Harvey, FC | 105-97-1 (.520) in 14 seasons
  • Charlotte Dixon-Graves, GC | 55-48 (.534) in 7 seasons overall / 19-21 (.475) in 3 seasons at Guilford
  • Bruce Reid, LYN | 159-117 (.576) in 18 sasons
  • Scott Bladen, RAND | 3-17 (.150) in 2 seasons
  • MK Geratowski, R-MC | 74-41 (.643) in 7 seasons
  • Mary Schwartz, RC | 206-204 (.502) in 26 seasons overall / 160-122 (.567) in 17 seasons at Roanoke
  • Lindsey Lutz, SU | 113-83 (.577) in 12 seasons
  • Meredith Newman, SBC | 54-54 (.500) in 8 seasons overall / 3-35 in 4 seasons at Sweet Briar
  • Nicole DeSalvia, VWU | 11-11 (.500) in 2 seasons overall / 1-6 (.143) in 1 season at Virginia Wesleyan
  • Brooke O'Brien, W&L | 188-55 (.774) in 13 seasons

Click one of the graphics below to be taken to that school's season wrap-up feature. These features will be added as our members complete them.

For more on ODAC women's lacrosse, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and following @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.