BABSON PARK, Mass. – The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) has announced its weekly awards in lacrosse and Mount Holyoke College student-athletes Molly Macdonald and Kirsten Kilburn have been selected. Macdonald was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week, while Kilburn earned Defensive Player of the Week recognition.
Macdonald, a senior attack out of Milton, Mass., has produced a league and team-high 17 goals to lead Mount Holyoke to a 3-1 start. She recorded at least three goals in each game and also added five assists for a league and team-best 22 points. Additionally, she chipped in with a ground ball, six draw controls and two caused turnovers.
In a 20-19 victory against Skidmore in the season-opener, the Milton Academy graduate tallied four goals, including the game-winner with 26 seconds left in overtime. She went on to score five goals in an 11-6 win over Westfield State. Macdonald added three goals in a narrow 15-14 loss at Western New England before concluding the opening week with five goals and two assists in a 19-5 victory against New England College.
Macdonald entered the 2013 campaign having played in 36 career contests. During that span, she has scored 50 goals with six assists for 56 points. MacDonald's breakout season came as a junior when she led the squad in scoring with 37 goals and four assists for 41 points.
A sophomore midfielder from North Branford, Conn., Kilburn played the catalyst on both ends of the field for the Lyons, recording a league and team-best 15 ground balls. She added a critical seven caused turnovers, which was tops among Mount Holyoke players. Her defensive efforts proved valuable at the opposite end as she tallied 14 goals, while assisting on five others – several of which came off her caused turnovers or ground ball pickups.
Kilburn also added a team-high 23 draw controls during the Lyons opening week. Among her highlights was in the season-opening win over Skidmore as she scored five goals with two assists and added five ground balls, nine draw controls and three caused turnovers. Additionally, she had at least one caused turnover in three of four games, while also adding at least two ground balls and two draw controls in each contest.
The former North Branford High School standout, who is also a member of the MHC field hockey team, finished second behind MacDonald in scoring during her rookie season in 2012. Playing in 13 contests, Kilburn recorded 31 goals with three assists for 34 points. She went 12-of-21 on free position attempts and had a team-best 51 draw controls with 13 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. For her efforts, Kilburn was selected to the NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team.
The Lyons (3-1) return to action on March 18 when they open their spring trip in Clermont, Florida against UMass-Dartmouth at 10am. MHC will then face the University of Southern Maine on Friday at 9am before returning to South Hadley for their first NEWMAC game of the season against Springfield at the MHC Turf Field on Sunday, March 24 at 12pm.
