Ohio Wesleyan University senior Sarah Hanley (Farmington, Mich.) and the Battling Bishop coaching staff received special awards as part of the All-North Coast Athletic Conference women's lacrosse teams, it was announced today by the NCAC.
Hanley, a defender, was named Defensive Player of the Year and was a first-team All-NCAC choice. Hanley is the third Ohio Wesleyan player to receive the conference's Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
Senior attacker Grace Egan (Ridgefield, Conn.) also was a first-team All-NCAC selection. Junior midfielder Sophia DelGallo (Braintree, Mass.) and sophomore goalkeeper Abby Markowitz (Las Vegas, Nev./Somerset Academy) were second-team all-conference picks, and freshman defender Abbie Grogan (Louisville, Ky./Kentucky Country Day) and junior attacker Nicole Klabus (Delaware/Hayes) were third-team all-league choices.
Hanley led a defense that ranks second in the NCAC with a goals-against average of 9.25. Hanley ranks ninth in the league ground balls per game (2.47) and caused turnovers per game (1.29). Hanley was a second-team All-NCAC selection in 2022.
Egan ranks 10th in the NCAC with an average of 2.29 goals per game and ranked third on the team in scoring with 39 goals and 6 assists.
DelGallo ranked second among Bishop midfielders in scoring with 15 goals and 5 assists.
Markowitz leads the NCAC in saves percentage (.557) and saves per game (9.78) and ranks fourth in goals-against average (8.48) and sixth in ground balls per game (2.67).
Grogan ranks fifth in the conference in caused turnovers per game (1.53) and seventh in ground balls per game (2.53).
Klabus ranks sixth in the league in goals per game (2.35), 10th in points per game (3.06), 15th in assists per game (0.71), and led the Bishops in scoring with 40 goals and 12 assists. Klabus was a first-team All-NCAC choice in 2022 and an All-NCAC West selection in 2021.
The Ohio Wesleyan staff of head coach Paige Messersmith, assistant coach Rachael Yoho, and volunteer assistant Patricia Ryan was named NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year. This is the sixth time that the Battling Bishops have received the conference's coaching honor.
Ohio Wesleyan finished with an 11-6 overall mark. The Battling Bishops finished in third place in the NCAC standings with a 4-2 record, their highest conference finish since 2009, and made their first NCAC tournament appearance since the 2010 season.
