Johnson & Wales' Lydia Knapp Selected as 2015 GNAC Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Written by Rebecca Mullen

WINTHROP, Mass. – Johnson & Wales University sophomore Lydia Knapp has been named the 2015 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the year, as voted upon by the league's head coaches.

Last season's GNAC Rookie of the Year, Knapp continued to impress, ranking fourth among GNAC leaders in goals (56), third in assists (26) and third in points (82). Knapp was an all-around player for the Wildcats, adding 97 draw controls and 24 caused turnovers.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine freshman Elyse Caiazzo earned 2015 GNAC Rookie of the Year honors as she leads the GNAC with 67 goals and 86 total points. She helped lead the Monks to their first-ever GNAC Championship, scoring 11 goals throughout the GNAC Tournament. Caiazzo and Saint Joseph's (Maine) will now prepare for the NCAA Tournament.

Defensively, Lasell College saw two of its student-athletes take home major conference awards, as Lasers junior Bridget Munnelly was voted the Defensive Player of the Year and senior Alexa Katsigianis was named Goalkeeper of the Year.

Munnelly collected 59 ground balls, 67 draw controls and caused 29 turnovers, while Katsigianis led the conference with a 52.7 save percentage and ranked fourth with an 8.22 goals-against average.

The four major award winners all garnered 2015 All-GNAC First Team accolades. For the complete list of All-Conference choices and the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team, please see below.

After an impressive season, Saint Joseph's (Maine) head coach Rupert Lewis was selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year, as voted upon by his peers. Lewis has guided the Monks program to the GNAC regular-season title and a 17-1 overall record, which includes a team-record 17-game win streak.

Including Caiazzo, Lewis saw four of his student-athletes collect First Team honors, as juniors Mary Leasure, Kat Gadbois and Meghan Williams were also voted among the conference's elite.

Leasure shared the ball offensively, leading the conference with 45 assists. Gadbois has played a key role in the success of the Monks this season, leading the GNAC in both ground balls (91) and caused turnovers (41), while registering 64 points on 43 goals and 21 assists. Williams was a key contributor to the Monks defense with 36 groundballs and 18 caused turnovers.

Lasell juniorBridget Doherty joined her teammates Munnelly and Katsigianis on First Team after leading the Lasers in goals (43) and points (55).

Two members from Emmanuel College were named to the First Team in junior Kristen Tuleja and sophomore Savannah Lundwall. Tuleja tied for fifth in the conference with 51 goals on the season, while adding 19 assists. Lundwall routinely guarded the opposing team's leading scorer and ranked fifth in the conference with 32 caused turnovers.

Mount Ida College senior attacker Amanda Bowen received First Team recognition after a stellar year offensively. She is tied for the league lead with Caiazzo in goals (67) and is second only to Caiazzo in points (84).

Simmons College junior Greer Gilbert was among the league leaders in goals (56), assists (22), points (78) and draw controls (74) to earn First Team recognition.  

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.

First Team
A – Kristen Tuleja, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Mansfield, Mass.)
A – Bridget Doherty, Lasell (Jr., Franklin, Mass.)
A – Amanda Bowen, Mount Ida (Sr., Randolph, Vt.)
A – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Scarborough, Maine)
A – Mary Leasure, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., South Portland, Maine)
M – Lydia Knapp, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Glens Falls, N.Y.)
M – Kat Gadbois, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Scarborough, Maine)
M – Greer Gilbert, Simmons (Jr., Falmouth, Mass.)
D – Savannah Lundwall, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., Fiskdale, Mass.)
D – Bridget Munnelly, Lasell (Jr., Bellingham, Mass.)
D – Meghan Williams, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Greenland, N.H.)
GK – Alexa Katsigianis, Lasell (Sr., Amherst, N.H.)

Second Team
A – Sarah Wootten, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Sr., Berlin, Md.)
A – Raquel Pederzani, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., Coventry, R.I.)
A – Toni Minelli, Lasell (Sr., Newington, Conn.)
A – Kasey Fries, Simmons (Fr., Bridgewater, Mass.)
A – Stephanie Oliveri, Simmons (Sr., Waltham, Mass.)
M – Sarah Higgins, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Groveland, Mass.)
M – Ashlee Pechulis, Lasell (Jr., Westfield, Mass.)
M – Lizzie Calnan, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Westport, Mass.)
D – Megan Brown, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Great Mills, MD)
D – Emma Lafrance, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Westport, Mass.)
D – Symonne Fontenot, Simmons (Sr., Portsmouth, N.H.)
GK – Lauren White, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Lynnfield, Mass.)

Offensive Player of the Year – Lydia Knapp, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Glens Galls, N.Y.)
Defensive Player of the Year – Bridget Munnelly, Lasell (Jr., Bellingham, Mass.)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Alexa Katsigianis, Lasell (Sr., Amherst, N.H.)
Rookie of the Year – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Scarborough, Maine)
Coach of the Year – Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Albertus Magnus College

All-Sportsmanship Team
Kiana White, Albertus Magnus (So., Irvington, N.J.)
Abaigeal Merrigan, Emmanuel (So., Rye, N.H.)
Mary Kate Bowe, Johnson & Wales (Jr., Mount Laurel, N.J.)
Michaela Doughty, Lasell (Sr., Scituate, Mass.)
Shaylene Hegarty, Mount Ida (Fr., Townsend, Mass.)
Larissa Gokey, Norwich (Jr., St. Johnsbury, Vt.)
Shae O'Connell, Rivier (So., Bridgewater, Mass.)
Bridget Saur, Saint Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., South Windsor, Conn.)
Jackie Wilson, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Tiverton, R.I.)
Alexia Malone Oliver, Simmons (Jr., Bristol, R.I.)

– #theGNAC –