Sammi Burgess, Nicole Graziano, Caroline Fitzgerald and Taylor Bresnahan are Florida's 2016 All-Americans.
Four Gators Named IWLCA All-Americans
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | Lacrosse
Sammi Burgess, Nicole Graziano, Caroline Fitzgerald and Taylor Bresnahan are 2016 All-Americans.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Four Gator lacrosse players are 2016 All-Americans, announced by the IWLCA Wednesday afternoon. Junior attacker Sammi Burgess and redshirt senior midfielder Nicole Graziano are IWLCA First Team All-Americans, and junior defenders Caroline Fitzgerald and Taylor Bresnahan are IWLCA Second and Third Team All-Americans, respectively.
The quartet brings Florida's all-time All-America tally to 12 players with 46 All-America honors in the program's seven-year history under BIG EAST Coach of the Year Amanda O'Leary. The Gators' four 2016 All-America honors are second most in the country to both Maryland (5) and UNC (5).
Fitzgerald is now a two-time All-American as a Gator after picking up IWLCA All-America Third Team honors as a sophomore last season. Burgess, Graziano and Bresnahan are All-Americans for the first time donning the Orange and Blue. Burgess (Co-Attacker of the Year), Graziano (Midfielder of the Year) and Fitzgerald (Defensive Player of the Year) all picked up major BIG EAST postseason awards to highlight the 2016 campaign, while all four UF All-Americans were All-BIG EAST and All-South Region First Team picks.
Graziano, one of five finalists for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, finishes her time in Gainesville having played 84 games in her career, second all-time in UF history. As just juniors, the future is bright for Bresnahan, Burgess and Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald already ranks No. 2 all-time on UF's career list for ground balls (106) and No. 3 in caused turnovers (61). Bresnahan sits right above Fitzgerald at No. 2 all-time for career caused turnovers (63) with a year of eligibility left. Burgess ranks No. 7 in both career goals (104) and assists (41).
Florida finished the 2016 campaign at 18-2 this season in the NCAA Second Round with a .900 win percentage, which currently ranks fourth in the NCAA with two weekends of play remaining.
UF had seven players named All-Conference this year, while its six All-Region selections a week ago tied for the most in program history.
The IWLCA will honor its All-America selections at the IWLCA All-America banquet Saturday, June 4, 2016, at the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa.
A LOOK AT UF'S ALL-AMERICANS
Sammi Burgess | FIRST TEAM
The quartet brings Florida's all-time All-America tally to 12 players with 46 All-America honors in the program's seven-year history under BIG EAST Coach of the Year Amanda O'Leary. The Gators' four 2016 All-America honors are second most in the country to both Maryland (5) and UNC (5).
Fitzgerald is now a two-time All-American as a Gator after picking up IWLCA All-America Third Team honors as a sophomore last season. Burgess, Graziano and Bresnahan are All-Americans for the first time donning the Orange and Blue. Burgess (Co-Attacker of the Year), Graziano (Midfielder of the Year) and Fitzgerald (Defensive Player of the Year) all picked up major BIG EAST postseason awards to highlight the 2016 campaign, while all four UF All-Americans were All-BIG EAST and All-South Region First Team picks.
Graziano, one of five finalists for the 2016 Tewaaraton Award, finishes her time in Gainesville having played 84 games in her career, second all-time in UF history. As just juniors, the future is bright for Bresnahan, Burgess and Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald already ranks No. 2 all-time on UF's career list for ground balls (106) and No. 3 in caused turnovers (61). Bresnahan sits right above Fitzgerald at No. 2 all-time for career caused turnovers (63) with a year of eligibility left. Burgess ranks No. 7 in both career goals (104) and assists (41).
Florida finished the 2016 campaign at 18-2 this season in the NCAA Second Round with a .900 win percentage, which currently ranks fourth in the NCAA with two weekends of play remaining.
UF had seven players named All-Conference this year, while its six All-Region selections a week ago tied for the most in program history.
The IWLCA will honor its All-America selections at the IWLCA All-America banquet Saturday, June 4, 2016, at the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa.
A LOOK AT UF'S ALL-AMERICANS
Sammi Burgess | FIRST TEAM
- IWLCA All-America First Team
- IWLCA All-South Region First Team
- BIG EAST Co-Attacker of the Year
- All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous selection)
- BIG EAST All-Tournament Team
- Seventh Gator ever to hit 100 career goals
- March 15 BIG EAST Attacker of the Week
- Started all 20 games for Florida in 2016
- Has scored at least one point in 24 straight games dating back to the 2015 season
- Had a hat trick in five of UF's last eight games in 2016
- Had a career-tying three assists in UF's win over No. 13 Loyola, found Mollie Stevens for the game-winning assist at No. 2 Syracuse and scored the game-winning goal with 10 seconds on the clock against Michigan
- Had 13 multiple goal games, including the last eight games of the season, and scored a goal in 18 of the Gators' 20 games in 2016
- Through the first weekend of NCAA play ranks No. 61 in NCAA in goals (41)
Nicole Graziano | FIRST TEAM
- 2016 Team Captain
- Tewaaraton Award Top-Five Finalist
- IWLCA All-America First Team
- IWLCA All-South Region First Team
- BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
- BIG EAST Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous selection)
- BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after having 5G, 7PTS, 3GB, 6DC, 3CT and 3-4 FPG
- Sixth Gator to ever hit 100 career goals
- Five-time BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week (March 1, 8, 15 & 29 and April 12)
- Had a school record five caused turnovers in UF's win against No. 17 Towson
- Her 84 games played ties for second-most among all players in Florida history. Her 158 career points rank fifth all-time and her 107 career goals place her sixth all-time in Gator history
- Marked Taylor Cummings (Maryland) and Erica Bodt (Syracuse) and led Florida against ranked opponents in 2016 in goals, points, draw controls and caused turnovers
- Ended her career with a goal in 19 straight games and a draw control in nine straight
- Through the first weekend of NCAA play ranks No. 43 in NCAA in goals (44) and No. 54 in points (61)
Caroline Fitzgerald | SECOND TEAM
- IWLCA All-America Second Team
- IWLCA All-South Region First Team
- Tewaaraton Award Top-25 Honoree
- BIG EAST Defender of the Year (Florida's second-ever Defender of the Year in program history)
- All-BIG EAST First Team (unanimous selection)
- Notable marks include: Riley Donahue (Syracuse), Alyssa Guido (Stony Brook), Kara Magley (Boston College) and Jackie Froccaro (Villanova)
- Scored three goals, contributing to the eight goals this season by UF defenders
- Started all 20 games for Florida in 2016
- Had career highs in goals (3), ground balls (44) and draw controls (21) this season
- Her 44 ground balls led the Gators
- Already ranks No. 2 all-time on UF's career list for ground balls (106), No. 3 in caused turnovers (61)
- Through the first weekend of NCAA play, ranks No. 72 in NCAA in ground balls per game (2.20)
Taylor Bresnahan | THIRD TEAM
- IWLCA All-America Third Team
- IWLCA All-South Region First Team
- All-BIG EAST First Team
- Feb. 16 BIG EAST Defender of Week
- March 29 BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
- April 26 BIG EAST Defender of Week
- Started all 20 games for Florida in 2016
- Had a career-best year in goals (4), ground balls (27), draw controls (34) and caused turnovers (26)
- Led Florida on the season with her 26 caused turnovers, ranked second in draw controls for UF
- Her four goals accounted for half of the goals scored by defenders on the season (8)
- Marked Kayla Treanor (Syracuse) and Molly Hendrick (UNC) in the Gators two road wins against the top-two squads
- Had a career high four caused turnovers against Michigan
- Had eight games with multiple CT and multiple ground balls, and nine games with multiple draw controls, including a career high six at Villanova
- Elevated to No. 2 all-time on UF's career list for caused turnovers (63)
- Through the first weekend of NCAA play ranks No. 80 in the NCAA in caused turnovers per game (1.30)
2016 IWLCA ALL-AMERICA TEAMS
| FIRST TEAM | ||||
| Sammi | Burgess | University of Florida | Junior | Attack |
| Taylor | Cummings | University of Maryland | Senior | Midfield |
| Ellie | DeGarmo | Princeton University | Junior | Goalkeeper |
| Kelsey | Duryea | Duke University | Senior | Goalkeeper |
| Cortney | Fortunato | University of Notre Dame | Junior | Attack |
| Nicole | Graziano | University of Florida | Senior | Midfield |
| Molly | Hendrick | University of North Carolina | Junior | Attack |
| Marie | McCool | University of North Carolina | Sophomore | Midfield |
| Alice | Mercer | University of Maryland | Senior | Defense |
| Michaela | Michael | University of Southern California | Junior | Attack |
| Kaylin | Morissette | University of Louisville | Senior | Midfield |
| Courtney | Murphy | Stony Brook University | Junior | Attack |
| Barbara | Sullivan | University of Notre Dame | Graduate | Defense |
| Courtney | Tarleton | University of Southern California | Senior | Defense |
| Kayla | Treanor | Syracuse University | Senior | Attack |
| Megan | Whittle | University of Maryland | Sophomore | Attack |
| SECOND TEAM | ||||
| Nina | Corcoran | University of Pennsylvania | Senior | Attack |
| Maddie | Crutchfield | Duke University | Sophomore | Midfield |
| Madison | Cyr | Pennsylvania State University | Senior | Midfield |
| Dene' | DiMartino | Johns Hopkins University | Senior | Midfield |
| Erika | Eipp | University of Massachusetts | Senior | Attack |
| Caroline | Fitzgerald | University of Florida | Junior | Defense |
| Mallory | Frysinger | University of North Carolina | Senior | Defense |
| Maddy | Lesher | Loyola University | Senior | Defense |
| Halle | Majorana | Syracuse University | Senior | Attack |
| Sarah | Mannelly | Boston College | Senior | Midfield |
| Aly | Messinger | University of North Carolina | Senior | Attack |
| Kelsey | Murray | Stanford University | Sophomore | Attack |
| Shannon | Nee | University of Connecticut | Senior | Goalkeeper |
| Kylie | Ohlmiller | Stony Brook University | Sophomore | Attack |
| Zoe | Stukenberg | University of Maryland | Junior | Midfield |
| Sammy Jo | Tracy | University of North Carolina | Senior | Attack |
| THIRD TEAM | ||||
| Taylor | Bresnahan | University of Florida | Junior | Defense |
| Alex | Condon | University of Pennsylvania | Sophomore | Midfield |
| Kaleigh | Craig | Northwestern University | Senior | Attack |
| Erica | Evans | Canisius College | Sophomore | Midfield |
| Alyssa | Fleming | Stony Brook University | Senior | Defense |
| Nadine | Hadnagy | University of Maryland | Junior | Defense |
| Kyra | Harney | Duke University | Sophomore | Attack |
| Olivia | Hompe | Princeton University | Junior | Attack |
| Amanda | Johansen | University of Southern California | Senior | Midfield |
| Stephanie | Lazo | Pennsylvania State University | Junior | Attack |
| Meg | Lentz | Stanford University | Senior | Defense |
| Jaclyn | Leto | Dartmouth College | Senior | Midfield |
| Hannah | Murphy | University of Massachusetts | Junior | Midfield |
| Casey | Pearsall | University of Notre Dame | Junior | Midfield |
| Catie | Smith | Cornell University | Junior | Defense |
| Molly | Wolf | Loyola University | Senior | Goalkeeper |
Players Mentioned
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