W&L's Tucker and Wills Lead ODAC Field Hockey Awards

W&L's Tucker and Wills Lead ODAC Field Hockey Awards

FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University took home two of the four special individual awards and saw five Generals slotted to all-conference teams to headline to the 2017 All-ODAC Field Hockey awards. W&L forward Haley Tucker earned ODAC Player of the Year honors, while mentor Gina Wills received ODAC Coach of the Year laurels. Lynchburg College forward Jackie Lerro picked up ODAC Rookie of the Year recognition, while Shenandoah University midfielder Elizabeth Pardo was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete.

Seventeen standouts returned to an all-conference team from last year's season-ending list, including nine that appear on the 2017 All-ODAC First Team. Eastern Mennonite University's Emily Augsburger and Lynchburg's Hannah Krause and Nikki Simpao are repeat honorees on the first team. Roanoke College's Kaylin Stenson, SU's Taylor Hayes, and W&L's Maggie Sands all moved up from the second team. Bridgewater College's Laura Gretz, SU's Morgan Payne, and W&L's Tucker each made the jump from the 2016 third team.

RELATED: 2016 All-ODAC Awards | All-Time All-Conference

Tucker, a junior from Manakin-Sabot, Va., finished third in the league points (43) and goals scored (19), while ranking eighth in assists (5). Her three-game-winning goals are third in the league. That total includes the deciding tally in overtime of the Generals' 2-1 victory over Lynchburg to secure the 2017 conference title. Tucker scored two or more goals in a game six times with a trio of hat tricks. Twice she registered a personal season-high seven points, both times notching three goals and one assist. She is currently on a 10-game streak in which she as recorded one or more points in a game heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Wills is in the midst of her third season in Lexington and enjoys her second ODAC top coaching honor, pairing this year's award with the one she earned in 2015. Her squad is preparing to host a NCAA Tournament first round game after winning the program's second ODAC title and earning the conference's automatic qualifier. The Generals are currently 14-4 overall including an undefeated 7-0 run thru the conference schedule. Those marks improve Wills' career record to 159-58 (.733) overall in 11 seasons as a head coach and 38-18 (.679) in nearly three seasons at W&L.

Lerro, a freshman from Royersford, Pa., helped reshape the offensive game for Lynchburg in her first season. Lerro is currently second in the ODAC in points (59) powered by an ODAC-best 28 goals scored. That total included a league-high nine game-winning goals. Lerro scored two or more goals in a game seven times, including a season-high four tallies in an early non-conference win over Albright. She capped her first season on an 11-game streak in which she registered at least one point.

Pardo, a senior from Walkersville, Md., stars both on and off the field for Shenandoah. In the classroom, Pardo maintains a 3.95 grade point average as an Exercise Science major with a focus in kinesiology. She has twice been honored as a NFHCA Scholar of Distinction in addition to multiple honors as Academic All-State by VaSID and on the All-ODAC Academic Team. She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership) and serves as the SU SAAC co-President (2017-18). On the field, Pardo is now a three-time All-ODAC honoree, adding a 2017 third team honor to her first and third team honors in 2016 and 2015, respectively. She helped lead her team to the ODAC title last season and a berth in the semifinals in 2017.

Listed below are the 2017 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards.  For more information, visit any of the participating schools' websites, 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 follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

ODAC Player of the Year: Haley Tucker, Jr., F, Washington and Lee
ODAC Coach of the Year: Gina Wills, Washington and Lee
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Jackie Lerro, Fr., F, Lynchburg
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete: Elizabeth Pardo, Sr., M, Shenandoah 

ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM
Laura Gretz + Jr. D Bridgewater
Emily Augsburger * Sr. M Eastern Mennonite
Hannah Krause * Sr. D Lynchburg
Jackie Lerro Fr. F Lynchburg
Nikki Simpao * Jr. M Lynchburg
Emma Clark So. GK Roanoke
Kaylin Stenson ^ Jr. D Roanoke
Taylor Hayes ^ So. M Shenandoah
Morgan Payne + Jr. D Shenandoah
Maggie Sands ^ Sr. M Washington and Lee
Haley Tucker + Jr. F Washington and Lee
 
ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM
Georgia Howard + So. M Bridgewater
Tessa Tierson Jr. M Bridgewater
Kayla Copeman + Jr. F Lynchburg
Georgia Drescher Fr. D/M Randolph-Macon
Stacey Staley Jr. D Roanoke
Emilee Wooten Fr. F Roanoke
Kayla Alderman ^ Jr. F Shenandoah
Elizabeth Roberto So. D Virginia Wesleyan
Skye Swain Jr. GK Virginia Wesleyan
Lilly MacDonald + Sr. D Washington and Lee
Lauren Paolano So. F Washington and Lee
 
ALL-ODAC THIRD TEAM
Elizabeth Washington ^ Sr. M Bridgewater
Alexis Brown Fr. M Lynchburg
Lacey Elliott ^ Sr. F Lynchburg
Karissa LeMaire Sr. M Lynchburg
Victoria Cappadora Sr. F Randolph-Macon
Maria Teresa Ambrogi-Torres Fr. F/M Randolph-Macon
Lauren Heffron Fr. M Roanoke
Rebecca Schmidt + Sr. D Roanoke
Elizabeth Pardo * Sr. M Shenandoah
Cori Jackson So. M Virginia Wesleyan
Ariyel Yavalar Jr. GK Washington and Lee
       
* 2016 First Team
^ 2016 Second Team
+ 2017 Third Team