Wellesley Lacrosse Earns Four NEWMAC All-Conference Selections
WELLESLEY, Mass. — The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced the women's lacrosse all-conference team on Tuesday afternoon and Wellesley seniors Claire Canty (East Rockaway, N.Y.) and Meghan Peterson (Glastonbury, Conn.) have both been named first team All-Conference. In addition, sophomores Wendy Nettleton (La Jolla, Calif.) and Nikki Sharkin (Summit, N.J.) have been named to the All-Conference second team.
Claire Canty was named All-Conference for the fourth time in her four year career, earning her second first team selection after back-to-back selections to the All-Conference second team in 2013 and 2014. The offensive catalyst for Wellesley, Canty put together an outstanding season, recording a team-high 30 assists and 59 points while finishing second on the team with 29 goals. Wellesley's co-captain tallied 31 points in conference play to finish third among scorers in NEWMAC contests, also ranking in the top-ten in the conference in assists and draw controls (54).
An All-NEWMAC midfielder as a junior, Wellesley co-captain Meghan Peterson made the transition to defense this season and earned first team All-Conference recognition for the first time. Often charged with the task of marking opponent's top offensive threat, Peterson helped lead Wellesley to the third lowest goals against average in the conference (8.75) during the regular season. She collected 33 groundballs, while finishing second on team in caused turnovers with 15. Peterson also found a way to contribute at the offensive end of the field adding eight goals and three assists.
Last season's NEWMAC Co-Rookie of the Year, Wendy Nettleton continued to shine while taking over the Blue's starting goalkeeper duties during her sophomore campaign. Nettleton earned her second-consecutive All-Conference second team selection after ranking third in the NEWMAC with 8.75 goals against and fourth in save percentage at 45.9%, while surrendering the second lowest goal total (105) in the NEWMAC during the regular season.
The leading goal-scorer for Wellesley, sophomore Nikki Sharkin earns her first All-Conference second team selection after leading the Blue with 41 goals this season, including 12 on free position shots. Also a key contributor on draw, Sharkin has also amassed 33 draw controls while also ranking in the top-20 overall in the NEWMAC in both goals and points (46) this season.
Wellesley's four All-Conference selections are the most for the program since the 2011 season. The Blue closed out the 2015 season with an overall record of 9-5 and 5-3 in NEWMAC games, finishing in third place in the regular season before advancing to the NEWMAC Tournament Semifinals for the first time since 2012.
2015 NEWMAC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams and Award Winners:
NEWMAC Athlete of the Year:
Heather Raniolo, Springfield
NEWMAC Co-Rookies of the Year:
Emily Young, MIT
NEWMAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player:
Christine Jiang, MIT
NEWMAC Coach of the Year:
Kristen Mullady, Springfield
NEWMAC Sportsmanship Award:
Coast Guard Academy
First Team All-Conference
Attack
Emily Young, MIT
Michelle Dorsey, Springfield
Allie Bush, Wheaton
Midfield
Rachel Secrist, Babson
Kira Schott, MIT
Kirsten Kilburn, Mount Holyoke
Kerstin Lindrooth, Springfield
Heather Raniolo, Springfield
Claire Canty, Wellesley
Defense
Ann Mahoney, Springfield
Meghan Peterson, Wellesley
Goalkeeper
Gabriella Anderson, Springfield
Second Team All-Conference
Attack
Hannah Levy, MIT
Julia Bell, Mount Holyoke
Bianca Raniolo, Springfield
Brooke Sabol, Wheaton
Midfield
Julia Harrigan, Babson
Meredith Weber, Emerson
Isabella DiDio, MIT
Nikki Sharkin, Wellesley
Kelsie Jenquine, Wheaton
Defense
Delaney Carroll, Babson
Christine Jiang, MIT
Mia Cambi, Wheaton
Goalkeeper
Victoria Kanaris, Emerson
Wendy Nettleton, Wellesley
Katy Ananian, Wheaton