NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. - A program-best five student-athletes along with the entire Saint Mary's lacrosse team were recognized by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) with scholastic distinctions for the 2020-21 academic year.

 

Erin Doyle, Bridget Kane, Emily Kraker, Shannon McCloskey, and Kathleen Soller helped make up a list of 766 Division III women's lacrosse student-athletes on the 2021 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. In order to qualify for the recognition, student-athletes must be a junior, senior, or graduate student and have earned a cumulative academic GPA of 3.50 or above. The five student-athletes surpasses the program's previous-best mark of three IWLCA Academic Honor Roll honorees in a single year (2017 and 2018).

 

As a team, the Belles notched a 3.311 cumulative grade point average to garner their seventh IWLCA Academic Honor Squad recognition. Saint Mary's has earned the team academic honor each possible season since first fielding a team in 2014. Programs must have posted a 3.2 or higher cumulative GPA for the academic year in order to make the list. The IWLCA suspended both academic recognitions last spring amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The IWLCA recognized 285 total teams across Divisions I, II, and III for the 2020-21 academic year.

 

"I am beyond impressed with the grit and determination of this team," said head coach Amy Long. "In a year with many challenges and uncertainties, our student-athletes remained focused and did the work to reach our team goals on and off the field. Our program has earned IWLCA Academic Honor Squad recognition every year in program history, and we are proud to have academic success as a pillar of our program. Erin, Bridget, Emily, Shannon, and Kathleen are outstanding leaders in the classroom and we are honored to have them represent our program."

 

Joining Saint Mary's on the IWLCA Academic Honor Squad list for 2020-21 were fellow MIAA members Adrian, Albion, Alma, Hope, Kalamazoo, and Trine.

 

For the full listings of both the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll and Academic Honor Squads, visit www.iwlca.org.