Once again, Maryland stands atop the women’s lacrosse world. But the Terrapins weren’t necessarily the most talented team in the country this year—that title belongs to Boston College, at least according to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).
Earlier this week, Sam Apuzzo, Kenzie Kent, Dempsey Arsenault, and Elizabeth Miller were named IWLCA First Team All-Americans. To put that in perspective, no other Division I team boasted that many honorees. Maryland had three, North Carolina had two, and a handful of other programs had one. What’s more, Apuzzo and Arsenault were given the IWLCA Attacker and Midfielder of the Year awards on Thursday, the same accolades they received at the ACC level at the end of the regular season.
Apuzzo, who will return to campus as a graduate assistant in 2020, rounded out her collegiate career with a third consecutive 100-plus point season. The senior racked up 124 points—second in the nation only to her teammate, Kent—including a career-high 94 goals and 30 assists. Apuzzo’s 94 goals were by and far the most in the nation—in fact, no other NCAA Division I player found the back of the net more than 89 times. She also averaged the seventh-most draw controls per game, winning 191 bouts in the circle to go along with 40 ground balls and 35 caused turnovers. The 2018 Tewaaraton Award winner was a finalist for the National Player of the Year award this season, but lost out to Maryland goaltender Megan Taylor.
Arsenault was also a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award, marking the first time in program history that the Eagles had two finalists for the award in the same year. The senior recorded a career-high 65 goals and 27 assists for a total of 92 points this season. Additionally, Arsenault—who moved up to midfield following the 2017 campaign—played all over the field for the second straight year, logging 44 ground balls and 100 draws along the way. Just like 2018, the 5-foot-8 Arsenault shined in the biggest moments, even scoring the game-tying goal late in the second half of BC’s epic Final Four win over UNC.
Kent nearly capped a storybook finish to her star-studded collegiate career with a five-goal performance in the National Championship, but the one-man show wasn’t enough to save the Eagles. At the end of the day, though, she clocked out with 127 points, the most in the country, in her first full season with the program after redshirting the 2018 campaign. Always looking for an open teammate, the graduate attacker tallied a nation-leading 75 assists this season—on five separate occasions, she registered six in one game. Kent could also score at will, recording nine hat tricks over the course of the year.
Then there’s Miller, who served as the backbone of the Eagles’ defense for the bulk of her career. A two-time Tewaaraton nominee and a three-time All-American, the 5-foot-5 defender typically guarded the best of the best when it came to opposing attacks. This season, she forced 21 turnovers, scooped up 37 ground balls, and spent more time in the circle than ever before, winning a career-best 79 draw controls.
All four of the Eagles’ IWLCA First Team All-Americans’ collegiate careers have come to an end, but BC has a few players on the rise that might just see their names on this list next summer. Juniors Sheila Rietano and Cara Urbank both earned All-ACC Second Team honors, as did sophomore Abbey Ngai. Four IWLCA First Team All-Americans, however, will be hard to match, not just for the Eagles, but for any program.
Featured Image by Jonathan Ye / Heights Editor
