Seven Wolverines Earn All-Big Ten Honors, Four Named to First Team
4/24/2024 11:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Seven University of Michigan women's lacrosse student-athletes -- senior Maddie Burns, juniors Kaylee Dyer, Erin O'Grady and Jill Smith, and sophomores Grace Callahan, Jordyn Harrison and senior Lily Montemarano -- were named to All-Big Ten teams, the conference announced Wednesday (April 24).
Burns, Dyer, O'Grady and Smith were all named to the first team, while Callihan, Harrison and Montemarano earned second-team honors. Burns earns the honor for the third time, Smith notches the honor for the second straight season while Dyer, O'Grady, Callahan, Harrison and Montemarano earn the honor for the first time.
Seven all-conference nods are the most in program history, surpassing the five earned in 2022 and 2023.
Burns, a 2024 Tewaaraton Nominee and team captain, has anchored the nation's top defense and has started all 16 games this season. The Philadelphia, Pa., native has a team-best 21 caused turnovers and 31 ground balls, while ranking fourth on the team with 18 draw controls. Burns broke the U-M career ground ball record with her 101st pick up against Northwestern on April 21.
Dyer earns her first Big Ten postseason honor and also has started all 16 games for Michigan this season. The Elkins Park, Pa., native's 54 points (42 goals, 12 assists) rank second for U-M. Dyer has netted three goals or more in eight games this season, including an eight-point outing at Rutgers (six goals, two assists). She became just the seventh Wolverine in Michigan history to eclipse 100 career points with 108 to her name heading into the postseason.
O'Grady, Michigan's second Tewaaraton Nominee, has started 15 games in the cage for the Wolverines and leads the nation in goals-against average (6.45) and save percentage (.589). The junior goalie has made 122 saves this season and became just the fifth goalie in U-M history to record 100 saves in a single season. O'Grady has produced five games with double-digit save efforts this year and was a three-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and a two-time National Defensive Player of the Week honoree.
Smith, U-M's career goals leader, earns her second straight first-team honor as she leads the Wolverines with 60 points (48 goals, 12 assists). The Farmington Hills, Mich., native became the U-M career goals leader, scoring five goals against Johns Hopkins to bring her career total to 128 in just under three seasons of work. This season, Smith has nine contests with three points or more and six hat tricks to her name. The junior attacker recorded a Michigan-best nine points at Marquette with her seven goals and two assists, while also producing four games with six points this season. Smith ranks second on the team with 47 draw controls with nine games that included three draw wins or more.
Callahan and Harrison have helped Burns anchor the nation's top defense in front of O'Grady. Callahan has started all 16 games with 23 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers, while Harrison has started 15 games with 21 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers in her first season as a Wolverine.
Montemarano has been a force on the draw for Michigan this season and earned her first Big Ten honor. She leads the Wolverines with 98 draw-control victories -- the Michigan single-season record -- and set the Michigan single-game record with 15 draw wins against Eastern Michigan. The Bethesda, Md., native also has added 12 points with seven goals and five assists.
Senior Shaylah Marciano was honored as Michigan's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree; she appeared in five games and added two assists this season.
The honorees and the rest of the Michigan squad will host No. 15 Johns Hopkins on Saturday (April 27) at 3:30 p.m. at U-M Lacrosse Stadium in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal contest.
