COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference announced the 2023 Women’s Lacrosse individual award winners, all-conference teams and honorable mention honorees on Thursday. Regis’ Lucy Johnson was voted the league’s Attacker of the Year, while her teammate Lily Ferguson was named the conference’s Midfielder of the Year. Colorado Mesa’s Kelsey Viger is the RMAC Defensive Player of the Year. University of Colorado Colorado Springs’ Madison McGriff is the RMAC Goalie of the Year, while fellow Mountain Lion Brielle Fannin is the conference’s Freshman of the Year. In her first year at the helm for Westminster, Jannel Snow is the RMAC Coach of the Year.
RMAC individual awards and all-conference teams are nominated and voted on by the league’s six head coaches. Coaches are not permitted to vote for themselves or their student-athletes.
Johnson claims Attacker of the Year after leading the Rangers to a 9-1 run through conference play and a No. 7 ranking in the latest Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association poll. A native of Colorado Springs, Colo., Johnson enters tournament play with 44 goals and 17 assists. While averaging 2.75 goals per game, she holds a .851 shots-on-goal percentage for the season and has four game-winning goals to her name. Johnson registered 61 points throughout regular-season play, scored eight free-position goals and made starts in all 16 of her appearances this season, helping the Rangers earn a share of the RMAC regular-season championship.
Ferguson is the RMAC Midfielder of the Year for her efforts dictating the pace of play for the nationally-ranked Rangers. The junior averages 2.62 ground balls per game this season while forcing 1.38 turnovers per contest. She ranks third on the Regis squad with 44 points and does so with 28 goals and 16 assists through 16 starts. In addition to 77 draw controls, Ferguson has found the net for 12 free-position goals and forced 22 turnovers. Of her 59 shots on the season, 50 have landed on target for a .847 shots-on-goal average.
Viger earns RMAC Defensive Player of the Year after bolstering a stingy Colorado Mesa defense that limits opponents to a collective .396 shooting percentage on the season. The redshirt junior was a leader for the Mavericks all season with starts in all 15 of her appearances, which help her squad claim a share of the RMAC regular-season title, the first in program history, with a 9-1 conference record. She is a constant force on the backline for the Mavs and ranks first in the conference, and fifth nationally, with 2.93 caused turnovers per game.
McGriff repeats as the RMAC Goalie of the Year after leading the Mountain Lions to the No. 3 seed at the upcoming RMAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament. In her redshirt junior campaign, she ranks first in the RMAC and sxith nationally for saves (187) and saves per game (11.69). McGriff also leads the RMAC while ranking second in NCAA Division II with 4.25 ground balls per game this season. She owns a .447 save percentage for the year and does so with 16 starts to her credit.
Fannin claims the league’s Freshman of the Year award in her inaugural season with the Mountain Lions after pushing her squad to a 5-5 conference record. The attacker has 52 points on 36 goals and 16 assists this season and enters postseason play riding a three-game scoring streak. Fannin notched 10 multi-goal games and six hat tricks throughout the regular season. She registered a season-best five goals in UCCS’ 20-13 win over Lewis University (March 10). The freshman also tallied two games with seven points, once in the outing against Lewis and again in a 23-12 win over Colorado State University Pueblo (April 2).
Westminster head coach Jannel Snow was voted the RMAC Coach of the Year by her peers after leading the Griffins to a 4-6 conference record in her inaugural season. Snow has the Griffins averaging 11.9 goals per game this season and a .756 shots-on-goal percentage. Her squad peppers the net for 18.3 shots on goal per contest.
A grand total of 24 RMAC women’s lacrosse student-athletes were recognized among the league’s all-conference rosters. Regis leads the way with nine honorees, followed by Colorado Mesa and UCCS with six selections each. Fort Lewis accounts for two positions, while CSU Pueblo rounds out the rosters with one honoree.
Postseason play gets underway in just over 24 hours as top-seeded Regis, No. 2 seed Colorado Mesa, No. 3 seed UCCS and fourth-seeded Westminster will convene for the RMAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament. As the first seed, the Rangers will host the event at Regis Lacrosse Field in Denver, Colo. The Rangers will open the semifinals against Westminster at 4 p.m. MT on Friday, May 5. The Mavericks will then take on the Mountain Lions beginning at 7 p.m. that same evening. The winners will then meet on Sunday, May 7, at noon for the championship matchup.
All three games at the RMAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament will be broadcast on the RMAC Network with Tim Flynn handling play-by-play duties. Fans can head to the
RMAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament page for the latest results and other tournament information.