2018 MWLC POSTSEASON AWARDS

MINNEAPOLIS -- A record eight Augsburg University women's lacrosse players earned honors from the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference for their performances during the 2018 season, it was announced recently.

Leading the way for the Auggies were goalie Marissa Guillou (SR, Burnsville, Minn./Apple Valley HS) and attacker Helena Nguyen (SR, Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS), who were named the MWLC's Defensive Player of the Year and Attacker of the Year.

Joining Guillou and Nguyen as All-MWLC first-team honorees were defender Christina Nelson (JR, Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy HS), midfielder Delaney Everett (SR, Brooklyn Center, Minn./Champlin Park HS), midfielder Izzy Snow (JR, Golden Valley, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) and defender Citlaly Escobar (FY, New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS). Defender Annika Hegrenes (SO, Maplewood, Minn./Concordia Academy HS) was an All-MWLC Honorable Mention honoree, and defender Hannah Valen (SO, Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna HS) was named to the All-MWLC Sportsmanship Team.

Augsburg's six honorees were the most of any school selected to the 15-member All-MWLC first team. It's the first time in Augsburg's three years in the MWLC that the Auggies have had an athlete win any of the major MWLC awards. Nelson was selected to the All-MWLC first team for the third straight year, while Everett repeated as a first-team selection. Nguyen was an honorable-mention selection in 2017 and second-team selection in 2016, and Guillou earned second-team honors in 2016. It's the first MWLC honors for Snow, Escobar, Hegrenes and Valen.

Guillou was the top goalkeeper, statistically, in the MWLC in 2018, leading the conference's overall statistics in both goals-against-average (5.97) and save percentage (.552). Her GAA currently ranks sixth-best in the NCAA Division III national statistics, while her save percentage is 12th-best. She finished 12-3 in 15 games (14 starts) this season, with her 12 wins second-most in the MWLC.

In 67 career games in goal, Guillou finished with a 39-23 record, a 9.77 goals against-average and a .472 save percentage, with 516 career saves. She also claimed 180 ground balls and 72 caused turnovers in her career, while scoring a goal with five assists. Augsburg's starting goalie the past four seasons, Guillou holds virtually every single-season and career goalkeeping record at Augsburg.

Ngyuen also had a career year for the Auggies in 2018, setting a single-season school record with 53 goals, while also contributing six assists for 59 points. She added 25 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers this season. She ranked fourth among MWLC players in overall goals this season and seventh in points, with her .596 shot percentage sixth-best. She had a goal or assist in 16 of her 17 games played this season, with 12 multi-goal games.

Playing in 65 games in her career, Nguyen finished with 162 goals and 29 assists for 191 points, with the goals and point totals both school records, and her assists tied for fourth-most. She also had 63 ground balls, 15 draw controls and 46 caused turnovers in her career.

Already considered one of the best defenders in the conference, Nelson added a new dimension to her game this season, becoming the team's primary draw-control specialist. She finished the season with an MWLC-leading and single-season school-record 111 draw controls, claiming a career-best 11 three times this season -- three of 13 games with five or more draw controls. Along the way, she also had team-best totals of 42 caused turnovers and 49 ground balls, while also scoring six goals on 16 shots. Her 42 caused turnovers were tied for fifth-most in the MWLC.

In 54 games over three seasons, Nelson now has 21 goals and two assists for 23 points. Her 129 caused turnovers and 157 draw controls are second-most in school history, while her 144 ground balls are third-most.

Snow had the best year of her career in 2018, setting a single-season school record with 71 points, scoring 50 goals with 21 assists -- the goal and assist totals both second-most in a single season in school history. She had a goal or assist in 16 of her 17 games played, with 12 multi-goal games and 14 multi-point games. Snow also contributed 34 ground balls, 24 draw controls and 23 caused turnovers this season.

In her 48 games over three seasons, Snow now has 150 career points, with 105 goals and a school-record 45 assists. She stands third in school history in both points and goals. Snow also has 81 ground balls, 66 draw controls and 60 caused turnovers in her career.

Everett has been considered one of the best all-around players in the MWLC throughout her career, and this year was no exception. She finished her senior season with 32 goals -- her fourth straight campaign with 30 or more goals -- and nine assists for 41 points -- her fourth straight 40-plus-point season. Meanwhile, she also contributed 47 ground balls, 35 caused turnovers and 68 draw controls, second-most on the team in each category. She ranked in the top 25 in the MWLC in each cumulative category, including a No. 9 ranking in draw controls. She had a goal or assist in 16 of her 17 games played, with nine multi-goal games and 12 multi-point games.

In her 68-game career, she finished with 138 goals and 36 assists for 174 points, ranking second in school history in both goals and points, and third in assists. Her 195 career ground balls, 254 draw controls and 132 caused turnovers are all school records.

Escobar had a strong first season as a defender, as one of two Auggies to start all 18 games this season. She had contributed 46 ground balls, 36 caused turnovers and four draw controls, with the caused turnover total second-best on the team and the ground ball total third-best. She contributed three or more ground balls in 10 games and two or more caused turnovers in 11 games.

Hegrenes moved into a starting role on defense this season and had a solid campaign, contributing 27 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers, while scoring a goal with an assist. She had two or more ground balls in eight of her 18 games, and two or more caused turnovers in eight games. In her 35 career games in her two seasons, Hegrenes now has 36 ground balls, 37 caused turnovers and four draw controls, while scoring three goals with three assists for six points.

Valen was named to the All-MWLC Sportsmanship Team. Members are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition. Valen played in 13 games, starting five, this season, with five ground balls and two caused turnovers. In 27 career games, she has eight ground balls, four caused turnovers, two draw controls and an assist.

Under fifth-year coach Kathryn Knippenberg, Augsburg finished 13-5 overall and 10-1 in MWLC play in 2018, setting new marks for wins in both overall and conference play. The Auggies qualified for the MWLC postseason playoffs for the third straight year since joining the conference, reaching the playoff title game this season. In Augsburg's five years of women's lacrosse, the Auggies are 49-31 overall, including a 24-7 record in its three seasons of MWLC play.