Alex Walling Earns IWLCA National Player of the Week Accolades

NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – University of Tampa women's lacrosse standout Alex Walling has been named Co-Defensive Player of the Week by the IWLCA after her performance against Adelphi last week. Walling was also named Defensive Player of the Week by the Sunshine State Conference earlier this week.

The IWLCA has chosen 10 student-athletes for the IWLCA Player of the Week awards for the week ending February 26, 2023. This weekly award recognizes the best offensive and defensive performances by players in Division I, II, III, and the NAIA each week during the regular season.

Division I 

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Libby May – University of Maryland

May led No. 6 Terps to a pair of road wins over Drexel and No. 7 Florida, totaling 12 goals on the week - six in each game - to lead the offense. Her 12 goals on 21 shots registered her a .571 shooting percentage and led all Big Ten players in goals for the week. She is currently ranked fourth in goals and fifth in points within the conference. With the 2-0 week, Maryland has moved into the fifth spot in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Sydney Pappas – Villanova University

Pappas led the 4-0 Wildcat offense to a 16-7 win over La Salle and an 11-10 overtime win against Navy. She registered six goals in the La Salle matchup and followed up with a five-goal performance in the overtime thriller. Pappas 11 goals came on 16 shots (.6875 shot percentage), while also notching an assist in both matchups as well. She is currently ranked eighth nationally in goals per game with a 4.5 mark.

Defensive Player of the Week

Amelia Hughes – Princeton University

Hughes picked up her first collegiate victory with a 19-save performance in the No. 17 Tigers' 17-9 win at Temple. She made 13 saves in the second half and was a perfect 7-for-7 on free position attempts from the Owls.

Division II

Offensive Player of the Week

Giana Murphy – Florida Southern College

Murphy, a sophomore attacker, posted a career-high five goals in the No. 4 Moccasins' 15-10 win over No. 2 Adelphi. She also added two assists, one caused turnover and one draw control to her career-high marks. The Mocs 3-0 start has moved them into the No. 3 position in the latest ILWomen / IWLCA Division II Poll.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Ashley Shen – University of Montevallo

Shen set a single-game program record with seven caused turnovers and eight ground balls in Montevallo's 9-8 win over UVA Wise. Both tallies were career-highs for her as well.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Alex Walling – University of Tampa

The senior goalkeeper stood firm to lead No. 6 Tampa to an upset victory over No.2 Adelphi at home. She recorded 10 saves on 19 shots faced to assist the Spartans in the 14-9 win. At 4-0 for the week, Tampa has slid up to the No. 2 spot in the latest ILWomen / IWLCA Division II Poll.

Division III

Offensive Player of the Week

Grace Osborn – Capital University

Osborn led Capital to their second straight 10-plus goal win of the season. In the 23-13 victory at Centre, she scored 10 goals, marking the third time of her career that she has scored 10 or more goals in a single-game. In addition, she registered two caused turnovers, one ground ball and nine draw controls. Osborn remains the only player in Capital history to score double-digit goals in a single game, men or women. Her performance earned her the Ohio Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week this past week as well.

Defensive Player of the Week

Eugenie Rovegno – Washington and Lee University

Rovegno regsitered a career high nine draw controls at Christopher Newport, helping the No. 8 Generals take down CNU, 11-8. She then followed up with a game-best seven draws and forced three turnovers with three groundballs in the 6-5 win over No. 4 Salisbury. The Generals are 3-0 to start the season and made a big jump in the rankings to hold the fourth position in the latest ILWomen / IWLCA Division III Poll. 

NAIA

Offensive Player of the Week

Bella Ricchiazzi – University of the Cumberlands

The senior attacker recorded six goals and three assists to lead the No. 6 Patriots to a 22-1 win over No. 10 Siena Heights. Ricchiazzi added five caused turnovers and four ground balls to her game as well.

Defensive Player of the Week

Emma Rittman – University of the Cumberlands

Rittman's 11 ground ball performance in No. 6 Cumberlands 22-1 defeat over No. 10 Siena Heights marks a program record, while her six caused turnovers are second most in program history. Rittman was a key part of the defense that limited the Saints to 2-20 on clears and held Siena Heights to no shots in the second half. 

Contact: Tiffany Taylor; ttaylor@iwlca.org // 713-856-8006