Downey and McIlwaine Highlight ASUN Postseason Honors - Coastal Carolina University Athletics

ATLANTA, Ga. – CCU juniors Kayla Downey and Avery McIlwaine were named ASUN Player of the Year and ASUN Midfielder of the Year, respectively, the ASUN conference office announced on Wednesday. McIlwaine also was named the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Coastal Carolina women's lacrosse team fared well in the 2023 ASUN All-Conference voting as three Chanticleers earned first-team honors, two more named to the all-freshman team, and three student-athletes earning a spot on the all-academic team.

Downey is just the second Chant in program history to be named the ASUN Player of the Year, while McIlwaine's Midfielder of the Year honor is a program first. The ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year is the first for McIlwaine.

On the season, Downey tallied a program best 88 points on 51 goals and 37 assists to lead the Chants, while finishing in the top five in the same categories in ASUN action. Against Marist, Downey set a program record with 10 points. The Babylon, N.Y., native found the back of the net five times and aided on five goals by her teammates. Downey was named ASUN Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks during the season for her play versus Boston, Iona, Harvard, and Marist.

McIlwaine picked up the program's first-ever ASUN Midfielder of the Year honor. For the season, the Alpharetta, Ga., native finished with 35 goals and 17 assists for 52 points while also winning 42 draw controls. McIlwaine also caused seven turnovers and scooped up 17 groundballs to help the offense get possession back to the offense.

Joining Downey and McIlwaine on the 2023 ASUN All-Conference first-team is Jordan Gertz, who led the defense with 12 caused turnovers while scooping up 14 groundballs. Gertz tallied her first career goal in the regular-season finale win versus Queens. Downey was one of three unanimous selections to the first team.

Coastal newcomers Lily Wallace and Alyson Mascolo were selected to the 2023 ASUN All-Freshman team. Wallace, a defender, appeared in 16 games on the year causing nine turnovers and scooped up seven groundballs. The Wilmette, Ill., native tallied her first career goal in the double-digit win versus Campbell. Mascolo totaled 24 points on 20 goals and four assists, while scoring multiple goals in five games, including posting three hat tricks. The Marlton, N.J., native tallied the game-winning goal versus Delaware State.

McIlwaine, with a 4.00 GPA in recreation & sport management, and Downey, a physical education with a 3.56 GPA, join Monica Manley, a biology major with a 3.92 GPA, on the 2023 ASUN Conference All-Academic team. Manley is a two-time honoree, while the honor is the first for Downey and McIlwaine.

2023 ASUN CONFERENCE WOMEN'S LACROSSE HONORS & AWARDS

Player of the Year: Kayla Downey - Coastal Carolina
Midfielder of the Year: Avery McIlwaine - Coastal Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year: Grace Loughery - Liberty
Freshman of the Year: Shannon Harrington - Kennesaw State
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Avery McIlwaine - Coastal Carolina
Coach of the Year: Tara Singleton - Jacksonville

ASUN WOMEN'S LACROSSE ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Pos.        Name                                     School
GK           Taylor Gallarello Liberty
D             Jordan Gertz                           Coastal Carolina
D             Maddie Sturgell                       Jacksonville
D             Bailey Wilson Kennesaw State
D             *Grace Loughery Liberty
MF          Avery McIlwaine Coastal Carolina
MF          Molly Brock Jacksonville
MF          Lauren Ellis                            Jacksonville
MF          Mackenzie Lehaman Liberty
A             *Kayla Downey Coastal Carolina
A             *Sarah Elms Jacksonville
A             Lizzy Ferguson                      Liberty
*- Denotes unanimous selection

ASUN WOMEN'S LACROSSE ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
GK           Addy Tysdal                           Jacksonville
GK           Sydney Heimann                  Stetson
D             Kaila Stasulli                          Jacksonville
D             Hailey Blachly                       Jacksonville
D             Mikayla Coghill                     Liberty
D             Grace Guglielmo                  Queens
D             Mia Judd                                Stetson
MF          Tori Banks                              Liberty
MF          Lexy Biller                              Lindenwood
MF          Shannon Donovan               Queens
MF          Shannon Kingston                Queens
A             Hannah Davis                        Kennesaw State
A             Cami Merkel                         Liberty
A             Logann Eldredge                  Lindenwood
A             Grace Hobson                       Jacksonville
A             Kayleen Favreau                  Queens
A             Kaitlin Pani                            Stetson
- Tie in voting resulted in 17-member All-Conference second team

ASUN WOMEN'S LACROSSE ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
GK           Elizabeth Goth                      Lindenwood
D             Lily Wallace                           Coastal Carolina
MF          *Abby Moran                        Jacksonville
MF          *Lauren Dobbs                     Kennesaw State
MF          *Jenna Burrow                     Liberty
MF          *Katie Colavito                     Liberty
MF          Josie Young                           Stetson
A             *Alyson Mascolo                  Coastal Carolina
A             *Kayleen Favreau                Queens
A             *Zahra Smith                         Delaware State
A             Ainsley Scruggs                    Jacksonville
A             Shannon Harrington            Kennesaw State
*- Denotes unanimous selection

ASUN WOMEN'S LACROSSE ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Avery McIlwaine                  Coastal Carolina
Kayla Downey                       Coastal Carolina
#Monica Manley                  Coastal Carolina
Lauren Craft                          Jacksonville
Sarah Elms                             Jacksonville
Addy Tysdal                           Jacksonville
Caroline Farley                     Kennesaw State
Julia Weiss                            Kennesaw State
Tori Banks                              Liberty
%Andrea Colavito                Liberty
Cami Merkel                         Liberty
Logann Eldredge                  Lindenwood
# - Denotes two-time selection
% - Denotes three-time selection

For complete coverage of CCU women's lacrosse, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWLax (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.

Players Mentioned

Kayla Downey

Jordan Gertz

Monica Manley

Alyson Mascolo

Avery McIlwaine

Lily Wallace

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