Six from Golden Bear women's lacrosse named All-PSAC East

Six Kutztown University women's lacrosse players were voted All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division, including four to the First Team, the league office announced Wednesday afternoon.

Defender Cyrose Conteh (Elizabethtown, Pa./Elizabethtown) was named First Team along with a trio of attackers in Lailah ElBouazzaoui (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Sam Graf (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Hills) and Emma Meakim (Hatboro, Pa./Upper Moreland). Second Team honors went to attack Shannon Lake (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue-Medford) and defender Robin Spector (Northfield, N.J./Mainland Regional). The six selections are the most for Kutztown since the program regained varsity status in 2008 and second-most all-time to a record eight picks in 1982.

Conteh concludes the trio of all-conference picks that moved from the Second Team in 2022 to the First Team in 2023. The senior from Elizabethtown, Pa., is having a career year for the nationally ranked Golden Bears. In 17 games (all starts), Conteh has caused a team-high 23 turnovers, won 57 draw controls and collected 39 ground balls. Conteh also has one goal on the year. Over the course of her 51-game career, Conteh has compiled 130 draw controls (fourth in program history), 47 caused turnovers and 88 ground balls. She spent her first two seasons as an offensive midfielder, registering 26 goals and 30 points before transitioning to defense under current head coach Kristen Nicholson in 2022.

ElBouazzaoui is a repeat all-conference selection after capturing a Second Team spot in 2022. The sophomore from Bridgewater, N.J., leads the Golden Bears and ranks fourth in the PSAC with a career-high 50 goals . She'd been held without a goal in just one of KU's 17 games and has 10 hat tricks to her credit, including a career-high seven goals in a win over Bloomsburg, April 19. ElBouazzaoui has fired 125 shots, second most on the team, and her 24 draw controls rank third. With three points in Kutztown's PSAC quarterfinal win over 15th-ranked East Stroudsburg, Tuesday, ElBouazzaoui surpassed 100 career points (102) in just 34 games. She's seven goals shy of 100 in her career.

Graf also has two All-PSAC East honors in as many seasons and is appearing on the First Team for the first time. The dynamic midfielder sits third in the conference in draw controls with a program season record 106, third in shots with 129, fifth in goals with 49 and sixth in points with 65. Graf, a Wayne, N.J., native, has set new career-highs in goals, points, shots, draw controls, ground balls (team-high 43) and caused turnovers (21). She joins ElBouazzaoui with a team-high 10 hat tricks this season.

Meakim's development has been on an upward trajectory since she arrived at Kutztown in 2021. The first-time all-conference selection is having an outstanding junior season, setting new program single-season records in assists (58) and points (81), while chipping in 23 goals, 31 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. The Hatboro, Pa., product leads the PSAC in assists and ranks second in assists per game (3.41), while ranking fifth in NCAA Division II in both categories. Meakim is also third in the league in points and points per game (4.76). She has 13 multi-assist performances in 17 games this season, including a career-high eight against Lock Haven, March 11.

The Maroon and Gold have counted upon Lake to take on more of a scoring role this spring and she has delivered. The junior from Medford, N.Y., has started all 17 games on attack and heads into Friday's PSAC semifinal against Seton Hill one goal shy of her first career 40-goal season. Lake has produced 39 goals, 13 assists and 52 points, while adding 14 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. She's recorded 13 multi-goal games and has been red hot down the stretch for KU with 23 goals over her last nine games, including a career-high five at Millersville, April 22.

Spector is a physical force for the Bears on the backline, where she's supplied a career-high 19 caused turnovers and 30 ground balls. The junior and two-year starter from Northfield, N.J., has also totaled five draw controls. In 42 career games, Spector has 80 ground balls and 33 caused turnovers.

Kutztown's four First Team selections were second-most in the conference behind unbeaten and top-ranked West Chester's five. East Stroudsburg added three as the three teams combined for 12 of the 13 picks. Millersville defender Taiyana Goldsborough was the only player from another team to break onto the First Team. The Golden Bears were also second to West Chester in overall all-conference honorees.

This year's PSAC East major award winners were West Chester's Hannah Stanislawczyk (Athlete of the Year), East Stroudsburg's Maggie Sell (Defensive Athlete of the Year), East Stroudsburg's Hannah Schiemer (Freshman of the Year) and West Chester's Ginny Martino (Coach of the Year).