Dani Waters Secures IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week Accolades
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Just a day after garnering Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, Dani Waters has been selected as the IWLCA National Defensive Player of the Week for Division II.
The IWLCA has chosen 10 student-athletes for the IWLCA Player of the Week awards for the week ending April 16, 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
Allie Boyce – Bucknell University
Boyce tied a 39-year-old Bucknell record by scoring 10 goals in Bucknell's 20-11 win over American University on Saturday. Boyce came into the game ranked second nationally in shooting percentage and then went a perfect 10-for-10 on Saturday. She scored seven goals in the first half to help the Bison to a 13-6 halftime lead, and she fell one goal shy of the Patriot League record, two shy of the NCAA record, and one short of the most in a game in Division I lacrosse this season. Boyce now has 43 goals on the season, nine away from the Bucknell record, and she became Bucknell's first 40-goal scorer since 2016.
Co-Offensive Player of the Week
Cassidy Spillis – Rutgers University
Spillis registered a combined eight points on seven goals and an assist along with 11 draw controls, two caused turnovers, and two ground balls in back-to-back wins over No. 6 Stony Brook University and the University of Vermont. She tallied a game-high five points on four goals and an assist along with six draw controls, a caused turnover, and an assist to help Rutgers to a historic 12-7 win over Stony Brook, the first win over a top-six opponent in the regular season in program history. She then followed with a hat trick and five draw controls in a 15-7 road win at Vermont.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Haley Urgo – Pennsylvania State University
Urgo was a major contributor to the No. 18 Penn State defense and its efforts to hold No. 10 University of Maryland to its lowest goal total since 1997, upsetting the Terps, 12-7, in Thursday night's Big Ten matchup. She recorded a career-best five caused turnovers and scooped three ground balls in her strong defensive efforts. With the win, the Nittany Lions shifted up four spots to sit in the No. 14 position in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll and will take on Johns Hopkins University for their final regular season game this Saturday.
Co-Defensive Player of the Week
Delaney Sweitzer – Syracuse University
Sweitzer tied her career high with 15 saves in No. 1 Syracuse's win against No. 5 University of North Carolina. Three of her saves came on free-position attempts. She also matched her career high with six ground balls to go along with two caused turnovers. After the Orange took a 13-12 lead with 3:51 remaining, Sweitzer made a save and picked up a ground ball on the Tar Heels' next possession to preserve the lead as the Orange snapped North Carolina's 41-game home winning streak. She now has six 10-plus save performances this season. The perfect Orange will face Boston College on Thursday in its regular season finale.
Division II
Offensive Player of the Week
Sydney Tiemann – Maryville University
Tiemann set a school record with 11 goals in No. 14 Maryville's 25-15 win at Missouri Western State University. The scoring mark is currently the most in Division II this season. She also tacked on an assist for a program-record 12 points in a game and accounted for the game-winning goal against the Griffons. Tiemann also grabbed a season-high 11 draw controls with three ground balls, and one caused turnover in the matchup. Tiemann capped the week by scoring six goals and one assist for seven points at Quincy University. With this performance, Tiemann became just the third player in Division II history to tally 100 goals in a season. She added nine draw controls with one ground ball, and one caused turnover. Tiemann and the Saints completed an undefeated season on the road (9-0) and will close out the regular season against Rockhurst University at home. Maryville shifted up two spots to No. 12 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division II Poll.
Defensive Player of the Week
Dani Waters – University of Tampa
Waters and No. 4 Spartans defeated No. 8 Rollins at home 17-7. Tampa's victory over Rollins College is the largest win margin over the Tars in program history. Waters picked up her 100th career-caused turnover against the Tars and is the first player in program history to hit that mark. Waters totaled three ground balls and four caused turnovers in the matchup. Tampa is ranked No. 3 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division II Poll and has two games remaining in the regular season.
Division III
Offensive Player of the Week
Jordan Basso – Gettysburg College
Basso led the No. 8 Bullets to a come-from-behind win at Haverford College. Basso registered a career-high 10 points on a career-best eight goals and added two assists in the 19-13 win. She also had two ground balls and a caused turnover. Gettysburg (10-3, 5-0) continues conference play with a meeting against No. 10 Franklin & Marshall this Wednesday. This is Basso's second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season.
Defensive Player of the Week
Anna Schipf – Western Connecticut State University
Schipf was named the Little East Conference Goalie of the Week after stopping 13 of the 15 shots on goal she faced in a 2-0 week for the Wolves, posting a save percentage of 87 percent over her 73 total minutes played. This is her second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season.
NAIA
Offensive Player of the Week
Aleyah Belton – University of the Cumberlands
Belton notched a career-high four assists and eight points in the No. 2 NAIA Ranked Patriots' win over Thomas More University. Belton notched the first goal 14 seconds into the game and notched a hat-trick in the first half. The four goals also tied her season high while she also chipped in four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers. The Patriots finished the regular season 15-1 with a 7-0 conference record and have earned the top seed in the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament.
Defensive Player of the Week
Emma Rittman – University of the Cumberlands
In her lone game on the week, Rittman was dominant at both ends of the field, scooping 11 draw controls and four ground balls. She also notched a pair of caused turnovers, while adding five goals and an assist on the offensive end for the second-ranked Patriots. She leads the NAIA with 130 draw controls, and it was the seventh time she notched double-digit draws in a game. This is Rittman's second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season.
Contact: Tiffany Taylor; ttaylor@iwlca.org // 713-856-8006