ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) announced its All-Conference teams and major awards on Friday morning. Entering the NCAA Tournament with a perfect record (16-0) and claiming its eighth MAC Championship in program history, Messiah was well-represented by the conference as
Rachel Delate headlined the awards, earning Attacker of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and receiving a First Team nod. Joining Delate in receiving All-Conference accolades were
Hope Flack (First Team),
Katie Stottlemyer (First Team),
Abby Howard (Second Team),
Grace Gormley (Second Team), and
Nicole Radcliffe (Second Team), while head coach Heather McKay was crowned with her seventh Coach of the Year honor.
Delate, a four-time MAC Commonwealth Player of the Week and two-time IWLCA Division III Offensive Player of the Week during the 2021 campaign, becomes the program's seventh Player of the Year recipient, just the second Messiah attacker to ever win the award. On the season, Delate has totaled 55 goals and 53 assists, leading the Falcons in both categories. Delate is the first player in program history to record at least 50 goals and 50 assists in a single season, tying the program record for points in a single season (108). The sophomore attacker was named MAC Commonwealth Tournament Most Valuable Player, recording a total of 12 goals and 11 assists across the three postseason contests.
Flack made lasting offensive contributions to the Falcons, who led all teams in the MAC Commonwealth in goals per game (18.13), assists per game (8.94), and points per game (27.06). Individually, Flack tallied 39 goals and added 6 assists. The junior midfielder's 45 points on the season was a third-best mark on the team, scoring a season-high five goals in a 19-6 road win at Albright College (Mar. 17). Flack led the Falcons in draw controls (81), the fourth-most in the conference.
Stottlemyer earns her third All-MAC Conference accolade, receiving an Honorable Mention in 2018 and being selected the Second Team in 2019. With a team-leading 23 caused turnovers on the season, Stottlemyer is honored with a First Team nod. The senior defender totaled 28 ground balls, ranked second on the team. Stottlemyer matched a season-high tally in ground balls (6) in Messiah's 17-2 road win over Widener University (Mar. 13).
Howard's 41 goals on the season is tied for the third-most in the conference. Averaging 2.56 goals per game, the senior attacker matched a career-high mark with six goals to help Messiah top Widener University on the road. Howard's 48 total points is ranked second out of all Falcons.
Gormley earns the first All-Conference nod of her career, claiming a Second Team honor with 23 goals and three assists. Gormley recorded four-point games twice this season, scoring three goals and adding an assist in a 21-9 victory at Stevens Institute of Technology (Mar. 30), while scoring a season-high four goals in a 17-5 road win at Lebanon Valley College (Apr. 17). The sophomore midfielder accumulated 50 draw controls, ranked second on the team.
Radcliffe earns her first All-Conference honor as well, contributing key defensive contributions to a team that led the conference in ground balls per game (22.06) and caused turnovers per game (11.06). Starting all 16 games this season, the senior defender recorded ground balls in every contest except one. Radcliffe totaled 25 ground balls while causing ten turnovers, adding a rare assist in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game.
McKay, with her seventh MAC Commonwealth Head Coach of the Year honor, led Messiah to its seventh undefeated conference record in program history. Serving her 13th season at the helm, McKay has improved her overall record to 173-66 (104-8), leading the Falcons to their eighth MAC Championship. Of the eight total MAC Championships, McKay has been the coach for seven of them. McKay wins her first Coach of the Year award since the 2017 season.
The Falcons are poised to make their ninth program appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Entering the National Stage as the region's top-ranked team, Messiah is slated to play its first game in the Second Round, clashing with the winner of Illinois Wesleyan-George Fox in Memphis, Tenn., on Sunday afternoon.
