12 ODAC Student-Athletes Named All-Region

GRAND LAKE, Colo. --- Four ODAC student-athletes were named All-Americans by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) on Friday.  Washington and Lee University's Emmy Mathews, Lynchburg College's Christina Tran, and Roanoke College's Gina Valles (pictured) were tabbed to the second team, while the Generals' Wilton Megargel was selected to the third team.  Each will join 44 additional honorees from across the country at the IWLCA All-American banquet on June 11 at the Crowne Plaza Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa., to receive their awards.

The four All-Americans were joined by eight other players from ODAC schools on the IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region Teams.

A midfielder, Mathews appeared in 18 of the Generals' 20 contests this season with 17 starts. She finished the season leading the team in points (76), goals (60), assists (16) and free-position goals (15). She also ranked second in ground balls (30) and caused turnovers (19), and third in draw controls (36). This season, Mathews was named the ODAC Player of the Year and the ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year, in addition to garnering first team all-conference honors for the third time in her career. She also collected First Team IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region honors for the third-consecutive season. Recognized as the W&L Outstanding Senior Female Athlete this spring, she concluded her career ranked third in career goals (161) and fifth in career points (199) in W&L program history.



Valles, now a three-time IWLCA All-American, racked up her fourth-straight First-Team All-ODAC plaque this spring as she put up the seventh-highest single-season scoring total in NCAA Div. III history with 134 points. She finished her career ranked among the best in NCAA Div. III history in points (2nd), goals (5th), caused turnovers (7th), draw controls (8th) and groundballs (14th). This spring, she ranked among the national-leaders in scoring (134 pts - 2nd), assists (52 - 8th), caused turnovers (52 - 10th), groundballs (100 - 7th) and goals (82 - 9th).

Tran, a goalie, earned First Team All-ODAC and All-Chesapeake Region honors this spring. She ranked at the top of the conference in save percentage (.528) and goals against average (8.60), and was fifth in NCAA Division III in save percentage.  Tran helped the Hornets to a 12-5 overall record this season and a second-place regular-season finish (8-1) in the ODAC. She is the first Hornet women's lacrosse student-athlete to reach All-American status since Carolyn Roth did so in 1997.

Megargel, who earned first team all-region and all-conference honors this season, appeared in 19 contests as an attacker. She concluded the season second on the team in points (68), goals (53) and assists (15), and also collected seven ground balls, seven caused turnovers and six draw controls. She ended her four seasons at W&L ranked seventh all-time in goals (120) while also registering 144 points.

Mathews, Megargel, Tran and Valles all earned a spot on the All-Chesapeake Region First Team.  Joining them are a pair of attackers in Lynchburg's Lesley Buckingham (65 goals, 24 asst., 31 GB) and Roanoke's Meegan Rourke (82 G, 23 A, 82 GB).

Six players were selected to the second team, including a pair of Hornets in midfielder Morgan Logue (33 G, 18 A, 32 GB, 31 DC) and defender Emily McMillan (1 G, 23 GB, 10 CT).  Also honored were Washington and Lee defender Christina Benedetti (24 GB, 39 DC, 17 CT), Randolph-Macon College attack Erin Clare Cassidy (60 G, 25 A, 34 GB, 91 DC, 19 CT), Virginia Wesleyan College midfielder Tara Harding (46 G, 10 A, 77 GB, 46 DC, 24 CT), and Roanoke defender Melissa Madalon (27 GB, 22 CT).

To view the entire list of IWLCA All-Americans and All-Region honorees, click HERE.