Four Pios Honored with NEC Women’s Lacrosse Awards
5/4/2022 3:49:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Werlau, McElhenny and Kittredge selected to Second Team; Durkin named All-Rookie
SOMERSET, N.J.— Four members of the Sacred Heart University women's lacrosse team earned Northeast Conference postseason accolades, the league announced on Wednesday.
Lydia Werlau, Claire McElhenny and Emma Kittredge were selected to Second Team All-NEC. Leah Durkin earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
Werlau was named Second Team All-NEC for second time in her career. The Brewster, N.Y. native earned the accolade in 2019. That same year, Werlau was selected to the All-Rookie Team. The senior led Sacred Heart in scoring with 62 points on 47 goals and 15 assists. Werlau was the leading scorer in 11 of the Pioneers' contests this season, including a season-high of eight against Saint Francis. She also notched her 100th career goal at Fairfield on March 19. Werlau finished the 2022 season ranked third in goals per game (2.9) and fourth in points per game (3.9) in the conference.
"Lydia showed great growth this year," said head coach Laura Korutz. "I'm proud of her work ethic and her determination to improve her overall game this season. Everyone knows what a dynamic scoring threat she is, but to be able to add that feeding aspect took her game to the next level and made her even harder to defend on the offensive end."
McElhenny earns Second Team All-NEC for the second year in a row. The Davidsonville, Md. native finished Sacred Heart's leader in ground balls (34) and draw controls (72). McElhenny currently ranks fourth in the NEC in draw controls. The senior notched her 100th ground ball and 150th draw control as a senior. McElhenny tallied a career-high nine draw controls against Central Connecticut State and a season-high five ground balls against Bryant.
"Claire is the heart and soul of our defensive unit and a workhorse all over the field, from the draw circle to marking up on opposing teams top scoring threats," said Korutz. "She makes the big plays when needed and has that ability to change the momentum of the game through her aggressive style of play."
Kittredge was the third-leading scorer for the Pioneers as she tallied 31 points on 27 goals and four assists. The Baldwin Place, N.Y. native was the leading scorer in five games and recorded four three-plus point performances. Kittredge matched her career-high of four goals against Saint Francis.
"Emma is a phenomenal dodger and finisher," said Korutz. "She worked extremely hard this year in getting more comfortable in our offensive sets. Through her dodging abilities, Emma was able to set up a lot of her teammates with scoring opportunities by pulling defensive slides."
Durkin earned All-Rookie Team after an impressive first-year season. The native of Dracut, Mass. was second for the Pioneers in draw controls with 30. Durkin posted a career-high eight draw controls against Central Connecticut State (4/9).
"Leah was the key piece we have been missing in our draw unit," said Korutz. "A strong and determined athlete, she was a huge asset in that unit that saw an increase of overall won draws this year by over 50. Her ability to study her opponents and be able to place the ball was invaluable throughout the season, leading to more offensive possessions."
Lydia Werlau, Claire McElhenny and Emma Kittredge were selected to Second Team All-NEC. Leah Durkin earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
Werlau was named Second Team All-NEC for second time in her career. The Brewster, N.Y. native earned the accolade in 2019. That same year, Werlau was selected to the All-Rookie Team. The senior led Sacred Heart in scoring with 62 points on 47 goals and 15 assists. Werlau was the leading scorer in 11 of the Pioneers' contests this season, including a season-high of eight against Saint Francis. She also notched her 100th career goal at Fairfield on March 19. Werlau finished the 2022 season ranked third in goals per game (2.9) and fourth in points per game (3.9) in the conference.
"Lydia showed great growth this year," said head coach Laura Korutz. "I'm proud of her work ethic and her determination to improve her overall game this season. Everyone knows what a dynamic scoring threat she is, but to be able to add that feeding aspect took her game to the next level and made her even harder to defend on the offensive end."
McElhenny earns Second Team All-NEC for the second year in a row. The Davidsonville, Md. native finished Sacred Heart's leader in ground balls (34) and draw controls (72). McElhenny currently ranks fourth in the NEC in draw controls. The senior notched her 100th ground ball and 150th draw control as a senior. McElhenny tallied a career-high nine draw controls against Central Connecticut State and a season-high five ground balls against Bryant.
"Claire is the heart and soul of our defensive unit and a workhorse all over the field, from the draw circle to marking up on opposing teams top scoring threats," said Korutz. "She makes the big plays when needed and has that ability to change the momentum of the game through her aggressive style of play."
Kittredge was the third-leading scorer for the Pioneers as she tallied 31 points on 27 goals and four assists. The Baldwin Place, N.Y. native was the leading scorer in five games and recorded four three-plus point performances. Kittredge matched her career-high of four goals against Saint Francis.
"Emma is a phenomenal dodger and finisher," said Korutz. "She worked extremely hard this year in getting more comfortable in our offensive sets. Through her dodging abilities, Emma was able to set up a lot of her teammates with scoring opportunities by pulling defensive slides."
Durkin earned All-Rookie Team after an impressive first-year season. The native of Dracut, Mass. was second for the Pioneers in draw controls with 30. Durkin posted a career-high eight draw controls against Central Connecticut State (4/9).
"Leah was the key piece we have been missing in our draw unit," said Korutz. "A strong and determined athlete, she was a huge asset in that unit that saw an increase of overall won draws this year by over 50. Her ability to study her opponents and be able to place the ball was invaluable throughout the season, leading to more offensive possessions."
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