Press Release Written by Sports Information Graduate Intern MaryKate Rumbaugh
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After earning the No. 3 Seed in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament, Wilmington University's women's lacrosse's Delaney Steele was named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Year, as coach Kevin Day was named CACC Coach of the Year, leading a total of four student-athletes named All-CACC.
In just his second year at the helm, head coach Kevin Day was named CACC Coach of the Year. Redshirt sophomore Delaney Steele was named Wilmington's first ever CACC Rookie of the Year and first team All-CACC for the Wildcats. Junior Lashay Ross earned All-CACC First Team for the second year in a row. Redshirt sophomore Valerie Bragg and freshman Tori Grubowski both earned Second Team All-CACC.
The Wildcats finished 10-7 overall, going 7-2 in the CACC to earn the third seed for the CACC Tournament. They will play Chestnut Hill at home on Tuesday in the Quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m.
Kevin Day is just the second coach in Wilmington University women's lacrosse history to be named CACC Coach of the Year. Jackie Trainer earned the award in 2012. He has led the Wildcats to their first winning season since 2014 with a 10-7 overall record this year.
Redshirt sophomore Delaney Steele is the first women's lacrosse player to earn CACC Rookie of the Year for Wilmington. The midfielder/attacker from Magnolia, Delaware, has broken several records so far this season, along with her CACC Rookie of the Year honor. Steele broke the assists record several times this year, recording a season's best 10 assists against Caldwell on April 13. In the same game, she also broke the single-game program record for points with 13, as she recorded three goals, as well. She also broke the single-season record for assists as she currently has 63 on the season, ranking her second in the CACC. So far, she has 32 goals on the year, to go along with 95 points, which ranks her third in the CACC at the end of the regular season.
Lashay Ross continues to be an offensive threat for the Wildcats, as she earned First Team All-CACC for the second year in a row. The redshirt junior has 53 goals on the season, ranking her fifth in the CACC, to go along with 10 assists and 63 points, putting her eighth in the CACC at the end of the regular season. She has also collected 41 groundballs, caused 21 turnovers, and has won 93 draw controls so far this season. During the regular season, she scored a season high six goals twice, while winning a season-high 12 draw controls against Mars Hill.
Defenseman Valerie Bragg earned Second Team All-CACC for the first time in her career. Bragg has collected 24 groundballs, while causing 16 turnovers in the regular season. She has collected a regular season-high three groundballs twice, while causing a regular season-high two caused turnovers five times in the regular season. She collected three groundballs and had two caused turnovers against No. 22 NYIT on March 16.
Tori Grubowski was named All-CACC Second Team in her first season at Wilmington. In the regular season, she made 77 saves for a .464 save percentage, putting her first in the CACC, while allowing 89 goals, putting her third in the CACC, for a 10.88 goals against average, ranking her fourth in the CACC. She made a regular season-high 14 saves against No. 22 NYIT.
Georgian Court's Samantha Fernandez earned CACC Player of the Year for the third year in a row, while her teammate Amber Neumann was named CACC Goalkeeper of the Year. Jefferson's Erin Campbell was named CACC Defensive Player of the Year. For the second straight year Nyack earned the CACC Team Sportsmanship Award.
AGATE:
2019 CACC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams:
First Team:
A Nicole Barbella (Georgian Court University)
A Samantha Fernandez (Georgian Court University)
A Alayna Heegan (Dominican College)
A Delaney Steele (Wilmington University)
M Jenna Fox (Dominican College)
M Arden Kassaleh (Caldwell University)
M Lashay Ross (Wilmington University)
M Sarah von Lange (Jefferson)
D Erin Campbell (Jefferson)
D Jenna Hoffman (Georgian Court University)
D Kaley Malampy (Chestnut Hill College)
D Lisa Milburn (Georgian Court University)
GK Amber Neumann (Georgian Court University)
Second Team:
A Morgan Cassiliano (Post University)
A Spencer Fitzgerald (Chestnut Hill College)
A Jenna Kelleher (Dominican College)
A Arianna Quinlan (Georgian Court University)
M Melissa Clapsaddle (Nyack College)
M Madison Heck (Georgian Court University)
M Samantha Murphy (Caldwell University)
M Julia Reinert (Chestnut Hill College)
D Valerie Bragg (Wilmington University)
D Chanel D'Angelo (Jefferson)
D Torie Eggers (Nyack College)
D Laurel Kennedy (Dominican College)
GK Tori Grubowski (Wilmington University)
2019 CACC Women's Lacrosse Award Winners:
Player of the Year: Samantha Fernandez (Georgian Court University)
Rookie of the Year: Delaney Steele (Wilmington University)
Defensive Player of the Year: Erin Campbell (Jefferson University)
Coach of the Year: Kevin Day (Wilmington University)
Team Sportsmanship Award: Nyack
Regular Season Champions: Georgian Court University