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Bridgewater, NJ -- Putting together a perfect season in Northeast Conference (NEC) play, it is only fitting that two of the league’s most coveted year-end individual honors found homes with members of the regular season champion Sacred Heart women’s lacrosse team.   

Sacred Heart attacker Lydia Werlau (Brewster, NY/North Salem) was selected as the NEC Offensive Player of the Year. Quickly making a name for herself as one of the league’s most dangerous scorers, Werlau and the Pioneers enter this week’s NEC Championship led by the Coaching Staff of the Year. Flanked by assistant coaches Dana Spires and Danielle Pannone, head coach Laura Korutz shared this honor after orchestrating an impressive single-season turnaround that resulted in the second undefeated conference slate in Sacred Heart history, and the Pios making their return to the postseason for the first time since 2017. 

Wagner and Saint Francis U, the respective No. 2 and No. 4 seeds in the NEC Tournament, also landed two major award winners apiece to round out the top honors for the 2023 campaign. 

Graduate students Aileen Hannan (Rockville, MD/Connelly School of the Holy Child) and Lauren DiStefano (West Islip, NY/West Islip) served as the anchors of a stout Wagner back line that ranked among the top in the loop, and as a result, they were tabbed the NEC Defensive Player of the Year and the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively. 

The Red Flash are postseason bound for the first time ever in 2023. Saint Francis U also made history this season by landing not just the first, but the program’s second, major award winners. Graduate student Autumn McHenry (Branford, CT/Branford) secured NEC Midfielder of the Year distinction for the Red Flash, while the NEC Rookie of the Year award went to Bella Fisher (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury). 

As one of the key components of a balanced Sacred Heart attack that ranks third in the NEC in scoring, Werlau pumped in 47 goals, the second most in the circuit, and added 13 assists for 60 points. The graduate student did not miss a beat, scoring in all but one of her 16 appearances with hat tricks in eight of those contests. On an overall conference basis, Werlau heads into Thursday’s semifinal against the Red Flash ranked second in goals per game (2.94) and fourth in points per game (3.75). The Brewster, NY native was named the NEC Player of the Week twice this season. The program’s all-time goal scorer and Division I record holder in points after accumulating 175 goals and 221 points over her five years in Fairfield, Werlau joins former standouts Amanda Williams (2009) and Carissa Hauser (2010) as previous Sacred Heart winners of the NEC Player of the Year award. 

McHenry makes history for the Red Flash in becoming the program’s first-ever NEC Midfielder of the Year since the award’s inception in 2015. The graduate student was a dominant force at both ends of the field. A big contributor to a potent offense that averaged a league-best 13.73 goals per game, she racked up conference-best numbers in goals (52) and points (68) to  rank 13th and 23rd in the nation, respectively, in goals per game (3.47) and points per game (4.53). Leading the league in scoring by a wide margin, McHenry was consistently one of the most lethal scorers in the conference this season, but she was virtually unstoppable at the tail end of the slate. She put up hat tricks in each of her final seven games, including a league-best nine-goal effort in a 23-11 win at Central Connecticut last month, and averaged 4.9 scores per contest during that stretch. Also one of the NEC’s top performer in draw controls where she averaged 5.40 per contest, the now three-time All-NEC first teamer is the only player in the loop to rank in the league’s top-five in draws, goals and points. A native of Branford, CT, McHenry was named the Player of the Week on four occasions this season.

Hannan becomes the fourth player in NEC history to repeat as Defensive Player of the Year, and the third to take home the award in back-to-back seasons. The graduate student once again wreaked havoc on opposing attacking lines this season, serving as the ringleader of a stout Wagner defense that caused a league-high 11.25 turnovers per contest in NEC action and held conference rivals to 7.12 goals per game, marking the second-best goals against average in the circuit. Causing 27 turnovers, including 17 during conference play, Hannan is second in the league in the category and is fifth in ground balls (2.64 per game). She ended the regular season on a tear, causing multiple miscues in six of her last eight contests, including a season-best five in a clutch conference win over LIU. During that stretch, she was twice tabbed the NEC Defensive Player of the Week on March 27 and April 3. 

For the first time in the award’s history, which debuted in 2010 and made its return in 2022 after a seven-year hiatus, a Wagner player was named the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year with DiStefano’s selection. The two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week held seven opponents to single-digit goal totals, including five conference rivals. DiStefano is 20th in NCAA Division I in goals against average (9.89), seventh in ground balls per game (3.21) and fifth in saves per game (10.93), while her .539 save percentage ranks second among the nation’s goalkeepers behind Saint Francis U’s Elyssa Enrique (.540).

Fisher exploded on the scene this year culminating in her selection as Saint Francis U’s first-ever NEC Rookie of the Year. The rookie attacker racked up a league-best five NEC Rookie of the Week awards to match Wagner’s Ally Alliegro, the 2018 NEC Rookie of the Year, for the most in conference lore. With seven hat tricks, including a pair of six-goal outings, Fisher leads all NEC rookies and is tied for fourth in the loop in goals per game (2.88). The Duxbury, MA native is also sixth in the conference in points per game (3.62).

With the guidance of assistant coaches Dana Spires and Danielle Pannone, Korutz, who is amidst her 23rd season at the helm, piloted the Pioneers back to the top of the NEC standings for the first time since 2012. Coming off a four-win season in NEC play a year ago, her squad doubled that total and cruised through the conference schedule with an unblemished 8-0 record for the program’s second undefeated conference season. Sacred Heart solidified the NEC regular season crown and the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament in the penultimate weekend of the campaign. Korutz’s squad ran through the league in dominant fashion, putting up 15.25 goals per game while defeating conference opponents by an average of 7.0 scores per contest. The Pioneers built a stifling defense unit under Korutz this season as evidenced by their league-leading 9.31 goals against average, which is good for 18th in the nation. Sacred Heart’s back line was nearly impenetrable by fellow conference members as well. No team managed to put double digits up on the scoreboard when facing the Pioneers this season, as they held opponents to just 5.00 goals per contest. 

Korutz, who previously garnered NEC Coach of the Year honors in 2006, 2009 and 2010, is the second Sacred Heart head coach to take home the accolade, as she joins Tara Fisher (1999).

In addition to the six major awards winners, the league unveiled its All-NEC first and second teams and an NEC All-Rookie squad. All honorees were determined by a vote of the conference’s head coaches.

AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

A veteran-driven group comprised the NEC first team. With one rookie and a sophomore making the cut, 13-of-15 first team spots were claimed by one junior, four seniors and eight graduate students. 

Sacred Heart led the way with three All-NEC first team selections and six All-NEC honorees overall. Stonehill also placed three on the first team, while Saint Francis U had six All-Conference honorees with two on the first team and four on the second team. 

Two major award winners are also repeat offenders on the first team. McHenry takes home first team hardware for the second time in as many years, while Hannan extended her All-NEC first team award spree to three consecutive seasons by taking home first team distinction in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She was joined on the first team by fellow teammate DiStefano, who elevated her status from second team in 2022 to first team this sesaon. 

Also a three-time All-NEC honoree, Werlau and linemate Grace Reinold (Braintree, MA/Braintree) provided a one-two punch on Sacred Heart’s attacking line, and in return, they each landed spots on the first team. The duo combined for 102 points, with Reinhold, a career 100-point scorer and second team member in 2022, tallying 32 scores and 10 dimes. Graduate student Claire McElhenny (Davidsonville, MD/South River), who led the circuit and was 22nd in the nation in caused turnovers with 1.93 per contest, joins Werlau in earning All-Conference distinction for the third time in their careers. This time, the two-some traded in their two second team selections for spots on the first team.  

Senior attack Emma Kittredge (Baldwin Place, NY/Somers), junior midfielder Kelly Nolan (Cross River, NY/John Jay) and junior defender Ellie Holt (Cumberland Center, ME/Greely) made it six All-Conference picks for the regular season champ Pioneers after they each occupied spots on the second team.

With its inaugural season in the books, FDU landed rookie midfielder Brielle McInaw (Kresgeville, PA/Pleasant Valley) on the All-NEC second team. The first-year player dazzled in her collegiate debut with a team-best 26 goals.

Amidst its first season as a Division I program, Stonehill put a bow on its first-ever season as a member of the NEC with five All-Conference picks. Highlighting the impressive haul was a trio of first team picks in senior attack Lydia Rudden (Hopkinton, MA/Hopkinton), junior midfielder Lily Leach (Lyndonville, VT/St. Johnsbury Academy) and graduate midfielder Emma Sullivan (Madison, CT/Daniel Hand).  

One year after Merrimack boasted the program’s first, first team selection, the Warriors doubled their total thanks to graduate student Olivia Valdes (Tarrytown, NY/Irvington) and senior Kelly Corrigan (North Andover, MA/North Andover). Entering the season with 22 career goals, Valdes, a midfielder, found the back of the net a team-best 34 times in 2023 to pace the Warriors, while Corrigan, a 2022 All-NEC second team defender, led the team with 25 caused turnovers. Senior attack Sophie Scearbo’s (Southborough, MA/Algonquin Regional) second team nod boosted Merrimack’s All-NEC number to three, which matches the program record that was set last year. 

Four-time NEC Rookie of the Week honoree Julia Trainor (Billerica, MA/Billerica Memorial) and senior attacker Lluna Katz (Manorville, NY/Eastport (Stony Brook)) represented LIU on the All-NEC first team. The lone freshman honoree on the league’s top list, Trainor posted team-best numbers in caused turnovers (17) and ground balls (28) as a member of LIU’s midfield. Katz, the Sharks’ top scorer, closed out her first season in Brooklyn ranked sixth in the league with 2.31 goals per game. LIU, which also landed a second team selection in junior defender Catherine Robles (Mount Sinai, NY/Mount Sinai), will be making their third straight NEC Tournament appearance as the No. 3 seed. 

Saint Francis U was also represented on the first team by sophomore Chyler Espino (San Francisco, CA/Saint Ignatius College Prep). The defender finished seventh in the conference in ground balls, averaging 2.50 per contest.

Senior Olivia Gianakos (Waterford, CT/Waterford (Hartford)) piled up some impressive numbers for Central Connecticut. She is the first Blue Devil to garner first team honors since Megan Szawlowski did so in 2017. Gianakos finished seventh in the circuit in goals per game (2.27), sixth in ground balls per game (2.60) and fourth in caused turnovers per game (1.67). 

Four teams were represented on the NEC All-Rookie Team. Sacred Heart had a pair of selections with attacker Maggie Araneo (Merrick, NY/Calhoun) and midfielder Ellie Edwards (South Kingstown, RI/The Prout School) earning spots on the list, while Saint Francis U also landed two honorees in Fisher and defender Bella Burke (East Moriches, NY/Center Moriches).

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.