NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - A pair of first wins of the season, as well as a solid home opening weekend propelled the Wilmington University spring sports to five Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Players of the Week on Monday, as announced by the conference office.
Men's lacrosse earned the first win in program history last week and two leaders were awarded for their efforts. Midfielder Josh Burley was named the CACC Rookie of the Week while goalkeeper Noah Given was named the CACC Defensive Player of the Week for the win.
On the softball diamond, the Wildcats played their first games on Asbury Field and were led by CACC Player of the Week Rosa'Lynn Burton and CACC Pitcher and Rookie of the Week Makayla McCarthy in going 4-2 last week.
Women's lacrosse also earned their first victory of the 2018 season, and midfielder Mikailla Spencer was rewarded for her defensive prowess during two games last week, being named the CACC Defensive Player of the Week.
Burley (Easton, Pa./Easton) led the men's lacrosse team to its first victory in program history, an 11-4 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas. Burley was the offensive threat in the game, finishing with a team high five points, scoring four goals while adding one assist. He was also dominant in the face-off circle for the Wildcats, going 12-of-16 for the game, accounting for 12 of the team's 13 face-off wins. Burley also led the team with 10 grounds balls in the game, with the bulk of them coming following the face-off to gain control for the Wildcats.
Given (Middletown, Del./Appoquinimink) anchored the defensive side of the ball for the Wildcats, making 11 stops in goal to earn the victory. Four of the freshman's saves came in the first quarter, allowing the Wildcats to lead at the end of the first quarter, 4-1. He faced 21 shots, yielding just four goals for the win.
Burton (Dover, Del./Caesar Rodney) led the softball team to a 4-2 record last week, batting .478 in 23 at-bats. After going 0-for-6 in the first two games, Burton went 11-for-17 in her next four games, including a perfect 4-for-4 with a double in game one against Bloomfield. She also went 4-for-6 with a double in game two against Adelphi, knocking in two RBI while scoring one more. She went 1-for-3 in the opener against Adelphi, hitting a triple to spark a three-run fifth inning. She also went 5-of-6 on the base paths to extend her CACC lead.
McCarthy (El Cajon, Calif./Steele Canyon) went 2-1 in the circle for the Wildcats, appearing in four games. In 25.2 innings pitched, she only allowed four earned runs for a 1.09 ERA. She struck out 22 batters while only allowing five walks and 17 hits. She struck out eight in a complete game victory over Shippensburg before striking out eight more in a complete game shutout in game two against Bloomfield. McCarthy went all 10 innings in a complete game against Adelphi, striking out four while allowing six runs (two earned) on eight hits.
Spencer (Edgewood, Md./Harford Tech) helped the women's lacrosse team to their first win of the 2018 season by being a defensive stickler in two games last week. In the come from behind victory at Converse, Spencer scooped up five ground balls while causing four turnovers. She also dished out an assist in the 13-12 victory. Spencer scored a goal, collected one ground ball, and added one caused turnover at Queens on Saturday.
The Wildcats had more accolades for their spring sports, as baseball's Zach Rumford and Brett Nowell earned spots on the CACC Weekly Honor Roll for their efforts in the team's CACC sweep over Post. Taylor Lambeth and Lashay Ross were also named to the CACC Women's Lacrosse Weekly Honor Roll for their statistics during the team's two games last week.