Five Wolverines Earn Big Ten All-Conference Honors, Three on First Team
4/26/2023 11:26:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Five University of Michigan women's lacrosse student-athletes -- graduate students Erin Garvey and Morgan Whitaker, juniors Maddie Burns and Josie Gooch and sophomore Jill Smith -- were named to All-Big Ten teams announced Wednesday (April 26).
Garvey, Burns and Smith earned first team honors, the second for Burns and the first for Garvey and Smith, while Gooch and Whitaker earned second team honors, the second of Whitaker's career and the first for Gooch.
Garvey, a team captain, has appeared in 14 games with 13 starts this season and ranks third on the team with 23 points (22 goals, one assist). The West Chester, Pa., native ranks fifth on the team with 21 draw control wins, has nine two-goal outings and seven games with two or more draw control wins.
Burns, an honorable mention Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-American, has led the U-M defense in all 16 games this season covering opponents' top offensive player. The Philadelphia, Pa., native leads Michigan with 19 caused turnovers and 30 ground balls, while ranking second with 39 draw-control wins. Burns has 12 contests with two or more draw control wins, including a season-high six against Harvard, and had four caused turnovers against Central Michigan.
Smith, a 2023 Tewaaraton Nominee, has broken both the U-M single-season points and goals records with her 60 points and 52 goals. She also ranks third on the team with 38 draw-control wins and has an .804 shots-on-goal percentage. Smith has recorded 11 hat tricks in 15 appearances this season and scored a career-best six goals against then-No. 7 Florida on Feb. 12. This season, Smith is an IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week honoree, an IL Midseason All-America honoree and a two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week winner.
Gooch has started all 16 games in the midfield this season and ranks fourth with 22 draw-control wins. The Dallas, Texas, native also has added 12 points (nine goals, three assists) with a .615 shots-on-goal percentage.
Whitaker has appeared in and started 13 games this season on defensive. She had 14 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. The Glen Allen, Va., native had a season-best four ground balls at then-No. 9 Denver and three caused turnovers against then-No. 25 Johns Hopkins.
Senior Frances Workman was honored as Michigan's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner as she appeared in seven games with three goals and three assists.
The honorees and the rest of the No. 19-ranked Michigan squad will host No. 18 Penn State on Saturday (April 29) at noon at U-M Lacrosse Stadium in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal contest.
