INDIANAPOLIS - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference has announced the 2019 All-Conference teams, and Tiffin women's lacrosse is very well-represented with eight honorees, including Player of the Year Elle Hamilton and Coach of the Year Erica Brown.
Joining Hamilton on the First Team are Maddy Batley, Hannah Casey, and Diana Oduho. Second Team recognition went to Ashley Osbeck, Amie Morrison, and Kat Schneeberger.
With a perfect 7-0 record in conference play, Brown led the Dragons to the GMAC Regular-Season Championship in their first year in the league. TU is hosting the conference tournament as the top seed, with semifinal action getting underway tomorrow as the Dragons face four-seed Lake Erie at 10:00 a.m. This season, the Dragons have outscored opponents 198-150 and out-drawed opponents 222-159.
Hamilton has been an unstoppable offensive force all season for the Dragons, leading the GMAC with 4.44 goals per game (71 total) and coming into the tournament third with 5.06 points per game (81 total). The junior plays all over the field as well, ranking third in the conference with 3.56 ground balls per game (57 total), third with 5.63 draw controls per game (90 total), and seventh with 1.38 caused turnovers per game (22 total). Her goals per game mark is also 10th in Division II, and points per game is 26th. The midfielder has been climbing up the TU record books all season, currently sitting in second in career draw controls, fourth in career goals and caused turnovers, seventh in career ground balls, and eighth in career points. She has scored at least one goal in every game this season, including four or more tallies in 13 of 17 contests, and tallied a career-high eight goals in a huge GMAC win over Findlay. With the award, Hamilton is now three-for-three in making first team all-conference in her three seasons between the GMAC and GLIAC. She was also named GMAC Offensive Player of the Week four times during the regular season.
Batley is second on the team in both goals (46) and draw controls (80), the latter of which is also fifth in the conference. She also has ten assists on the year and has scored in all 17 games, including three five-goal efforts, two coming in conference play against Ohio Valley and Davis & Elkins.
Casey and Oduho anchor a staunch Dragon defense that leads the conference in goals against average at 8.31 goals allowed per game, and has held all but one conference opponent to single digits in scoring, including three to four or less goals. On the season, Casey has 10 caused turnovers and 16 ground balls, while Oduho comes into the weekend with seven caused turnovers and 19 ground balls. Casey was also named Second Team All-GLIAC last year.
Osbeck has been a great facilitator for TU, leading the team with 23 assists to go with 22 goals. She recorded an assist in all but four games on the year, including a career-high four helpers against Davis & Elkins.
Morrison earns all-conference recognition for the third year in a row, receiving Honorable Mention honors in the GLIAC her sophomore year and First Team honors last season. Morrison is truly an all-around player, as she ranks third on the team with 25 goals, second with 17 assists, fourth with 42 points, second with 40 ground balls, fourth with 15 draw controls, and second with 19 caused turnovers. The senior has also been named the GMAC Defensive Player of the Week four weeks in a row entering the tournament.
With a stellar campaign in goal her senior year, Schneeberger has now earned all-conference recognition in each of her four seasons in a Dragon uniform. She was a First Team pick and GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year after her freshman season, and followed that up with two Second Team awards that last two years. Of goalies with over 150 minutes played, Schneeberger leads the conference with an 8.38 goals against average and a .496 saves percentage. The senior will also conclude her career second all-time in both saves and ground balls at Tiffin.