Chase and Connors Named to ECAC Division III New England All-Star Team

ECAC Release

DANBURY, Conn. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2016 Division III New England Women's Lacrosse All-ECAC Selections and major award winners.

Trinity College's Martha Griffin capped her senior season by earning ECAC DIII New England Women's Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year, while Bridget Munnelly of Lasell College was voted defensive player of the year. Alyssa Kelly from Mount Ida College received the honor for top rookie, with Brett Allen of Bates College rounding out the major awards with the coach of the year accolade.

After being named to the First Team All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), both Kaila Chase (Northbridge, Mass.) and Jackie Connors (Ashland, Mass.) were named to the ECAC Division III New England First Team as they led the team in goals and assists in their senior season.

"Jackie and Kaila both had outstanding senior years," commented head coach Kelly Downs.  "They both worked extremely hard to reach their goals this past season and it's great to see them both receive the acknowledgment of their accomplishments."

Chase marked 55 goals and 32 assists for a combined 87 points in her senior year. She also registered 35 ground balls and 29 draw controls on the defensive end. Chase completes her career with 210 goals, 76 assists, 286 points, 98 ground balls, and 59 draw controls, standing in the top-5 of Worcester State all-time records in most scoring categories.

Connors finished the 2016 season with 114 points (67 goals, 47 assists), good for second place in the nation (DIII). Also this season, Connors broke the Worcester State University school record for assists in a single game with eight, most assists in a season with 47, and most assists per game at 3.51. In 2015, she broke the school record in all-time assists, posting 138 throughout her career at Worcester State. She also broke all-time records in defensive categories such as ground balls, draw controls, and caused turnovers.

"It was a pleasure to coach and see these two grow over the past four seasons," added Downs.  "They have helped shape and bring Worcester State lacrosse to the program it is today and we will miss them next season." 

Worcester State finished the regular season with a 4-3 record in the MASCAC and earned the fourth seed in the tournament. They advanced to the MASCAC Semifinals after a quarterfinal victory over Framingham State, 16-13.

All-ECAC First Team
A: Moriah Greenstein - Bates College, Sr.
A: Taylor Scialdone - Western New England University, Sr.
A: Kaelin Hogan - Roger Williams University, So.
A: Kaila Chase - Worcester State University, Sr.
M: Martha Griffin - Trinity College, Sr.
M: Lauren Geary - Bridgewater State University, Sr.
M: Jackie Connors - Worcester State University, Sr.
D: Jolena Lampron - University of New England, So.
D: Alexis Cran - Curry College, Sr.
D: Carrie Long - Fitchburg State University, So.
D: Delaney Carroll - Babson College, Jr.
G: Hannah Jeffrey - Bates College, Sr.

All-ECAC Second Team
A: Bridget Instrum - Middlebury College, Sr.
A: Caroline Ross - Tufts University, Sr.
A: Brianna MacKay - Castleton University, Sr.
A: Heather Raniolo - Springfield College, Sr.
M: Laurel Pascal - Middlebury College, Sr.
M: Rachel Passarelli - Amherst College, Sr.
M: Lydia Knapp - Johnson & Wales University, Jr.
D: Jackie Brokaw - Colby College, So.
D: Evie Keating - Middlebury College, So.
D: Ashley Stewart - Trinity College, Sr.
D: Christine Jiang - Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sr.
G: Mimi Khampaeng - Westfield State University, Sr.

Portions of this Release Courtesy of ECAC Communications