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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Freshman Selena Lasota and sophomore Sheila Nesselbush have been named to the inaugural All-Big Ten Team, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.
The 20-person All-Big Ten team consists of 10 players from three separate positions (three attack players, three midfielders, three defenders and one goalkeeper) and 10 more at-large selections.
Lasota was one of nine unanimous selections to the team, while Nesselbush was chosen as one of 10 at-large selections.
Senior Brooke Jones was selected as the Wildcats Sportsmanship Award recipient, an honor given one student-athlete from each Big Ten institution to have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, these honorees must be in good academic standing and must have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Lasota burst on the college lacrosse scene by leading the Big Ten in goals per game (3.5) while tying for the league-lead with 56 total goals. She was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Feb. 23. A dynamic scoring threat every time she touches the ball, Lasota has tallied at least two goals in all 16 games this season and twice scored a season-high six goals. She became the first Wildcats freshman since 2003 to eclipse the 50-goal plateau and is just 12 goals shy of cracking the single-season top-10 list.
A year after starting every game as a true freshman, Nesselbush became arguably one of the Wildcats' most valuable players for her ability to play from end to end. She opened the season by earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors and went on to take her game to another level by displaying her offensive skill set. Nesselbush scored a hat trick in three games and finished the regular season with 21 points (17 g, 4 a) after scoring just three times and finishing with four points as a freshman. She finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten in ground balls per game (1.88) and was fifth in draw controls (2.94).
The Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Attack Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Goaltender of the Year awards will be announced on Monday, May 4 following the Big Ten Tournament.
All-Big Ten Team
BROOKE GRIFFIN, A, Maryland
Selena Lasota, A, Northwestern
MAGGIE MCCORMICK, A, Penn State
TAYLOR CUMMINGS, M, Maryland
Zoe Stukenberg, M, Maryland
TATUM COFFEY, M, Penn State
MEGAN DOUTY, D, Maryland
ALICE MERCER, D, Maryland
ABBY SMUCKER, D, Penn State
Alex Fitzpatrick, G, Maryland
Megan Whittle, Maryland
CASEY PEPPERMAN, Maryland
Sheila Nesselbush, Northwestern
Katie Chase, Ohio State
Jackie Cifarelli, Ohio State
Taylor Donahue, Ohio State
Jennifer Porretto, Ohio State
Madison Cyr, Penn State
Emi Smith, Penn State
Lauren Sbrilli, Rutgers
Unanimous selections in CAPS
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