SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – The Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) has announced its year-end academic honors and Mount Holyoke College was recognized for the 11th straight season. The squad was one of 313 schools across all divisions to be named a Zag Sports Academic Honor Squad for the 2018 season. Individually, three student-athletes were also recognized, including two for the second consecutive season.
The Lyons, who were guided by 11th-year head coach Miriam Esber, were one of 151 squads in Division III to be honored. MHC was also one of seven New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) institutions recognized.
Individually, graduates Kaitlin Braz '18 and Julia Lankin '18, along with rising senior Haley Subocz were among the student-athletes to be recognized. It marked the second straight honor for both Braz and Lankin.
Braz (Tolland, Conn./East Catholic), a midfielder, started all 62 games of her career with the Lyons. She recorded 58 goals and 20 assists for 78 points. Braz notched 203 ground balls, becoming just the third player in program history to reach the 200 mark and now ranks second in program history. Additionally, she recorded 99 caused turnovers, which ranks second all-time and had 66 draw controls. The 2018 season saw her post 19 goals and seven assists for 26 points. Her 67 ground balls not only led the team, but also the NEWMAC, while her 40 caused turnovers was third among the conference's best.
Lankin (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) concluded her collegiate career with 99 ground balls, 128 draw controls and 38 caused turnovers as a starter in 56 of 58 career games. She also added an assist during her junior season. One of the Lyons primary defenders, Lankin's 128 career draw controls rank sixth all-time in program history. During the 2018 campaign, her expertise on the blueline was critical as she posted career-high numbers in draw controls with 40 and caused turnovers with 13, adding 23 ground balls. Lankin, a captain this season, helped the Lyons posted the fourth-best caused turnover (173) total in the NEWMAC, along with fourth in ground balls (344).
Subocz (Northampton, Mass./Northampton) was a critical force in the midfield and blueline for MHC in 2018. She recorded a goal and an assist offensively, but boasted 30 ground balls, which ranked third overall on the squad. Subocz also went on to record 10 draw controls with eight caused turnovers as a starter in all 16 contests. Through her first three years, she has started all 46 games she's played in, adding five goals with nine assists for 14 points. Additionally, she has notched 73 ground balls, 46 draw controls and 26 caused turnovers.
As a team, the Lyons finished 3-13 overall, including wins against Gordon College (16-8), Salve Regina University (10-8) and conference-rival, Emerson College (9-8).
In order to qualify for the team honor, squads must have posted a 3.0 or higher team GPA for the year. In order to be eligible for the individual honor, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or greater.
