IWLCA All-Region TeamsBaltimore, MD - One day after seeing their season come to an end in the NCAA Second Round, Messiah College women's lacrosse was honored by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) with four All-Metro Region honorees.
Alexa Dipeso and
Claire Stikeleather were named the First Team, and
Stephanie Athens and
Brooke Gamble were named to the Second Team.
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This year marks the fourth in program history that Messiah has garnered four All-Region selections (2011, 2012, 2013). The First Team nod for Stikeleather follows a Second Team honor last season.
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Stikeleather led the Falcons with 59 points with career-high totals in both goals (43) and assists (16). She was also a First Team All-Commonwealth selection for the third time in as many seasons.
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Dipeso was a First Team selection in her first season with Messiah. She is just the third different goalie to earn All-Region honors for the Falcons, and she did so by way of an impressive 7.72 goals against average and .477 save percentage.
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Like Dipeso, Gamble and Athens earned All-Region honors for the first time in their respective careers. Gamble was the Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year and she picked up 18 caused turnovers and 29 groundballs. Every game out Gamble was trusted to mark the opposing team's most proficient attack, and she was a big reason why Messiah held opponents to just 7.26 goals per game.
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Athens scored 49 points for Messiah in her first season as a Falcon. She collected 35 goals and 14 assists, and she put an impressive 80.4 percent of her shots on cage. She tied for the team lead with 37 groundballs and was second on the team with 40 draw controls.
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Messiah finished the 2015 season with a record of 14-5. They earned the Commonwealth Championship and advanced into the fourth NCAA Tournament in program history.
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