WOMEN'S LACROSSE LEADS WAY WITH SEVEN ALL-CONFERENCE AND COACH OF YEAR HONORS

New Haven, Conn. (5/2/23) Dominican University New York sophomore attack Caitlin Costello has been named the 2023 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women’s Lacrosse Player of the Year, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara announced on Tuesday. Costello, who was also voted onto the All-CACC First Team, earned the honors via a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches in the sport.

WOMEN'S LACROSSE LEADS WAY WITH SEVEN ALL-CONFERENCE AND COACH OF YEAR HONORS
May 2, 2023

New Haven, Conn. (5/2/23) Dominican University New York sophomore attack Caitlin Costello has been named the 2023 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year, CACC Commissioner Dan Mara announced on Tuesday. Costello, who was also voted onto the All-CACC First Team, earned the honors via a vote of the league's 11 head coaches in the sport.

Dominican (15-2, 9-1) claimed four of the five major individual awards from the CACC on Tuesday. Charger freshman Madelyn Grella was voted the conference Rookie of the Year and sophomore teammate Erin Carr was chosen the league's Defensive Player of the Year. In a vote by the sports information directors, Dominican head coach Rob Grella was selected the CACC Coach of the Year. Alexis Hahn of Georgian Court University was tapped as the Goalkeeper of the Year, while Alliance University is the winner of the annual CACC Team Sportsmanship Award.

Dominican leads NCAA Division II in scoring offense, and Costello has been a big reason why. She has compiled 46 goals and league-leading totals of 82 assists and 128 points, topping the country in assists per game (4.75) and points per game (7.44). She tallied 13 points – four goals and nine assists – to match the national single-game high during a Mar. 18 home victory over Wilmington University. Costello, Dominican's first CACC Player of the Year in women's lacrosse, also ranks sixth in the CACC with 35 ground balls.

Madelyn Grella, daughter of the Chargers' head coach, was also named to the All-CACC First Team attack. She owns 54 goals and 64 assists, with her 118 points second in the conference only to Costello. Grella ranks second nationally in Division II to Costello with 6.94 points per game.

Carr, an All-CACC First-Teamer as well, possesses 81 draw controls and 33 ground balls, with both totals among the CACC's top 10. She has caused 15 turnovers while committing only eight.

Rob Grella is the CACC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season since arriving on the Dominican campus. In 2023, he led the Chargers to their first conference regular-season championship and the top seed for the playoffs.

Attacker DeStasio makes her second appearance on the All-CACC First Team.  She led the conference and team in goals and was third in points.  DeStasio recorded her 100th career goal this season and registered a career high nine goals in a game on April 4th, 2023.

Dominican's Erica Ortiz was named to the All-CACC First Team for the second straight season.  She currently ranks second in the conference in draw controls, fifth in goals and 11th in points.  Ortiz leads the Chargers in draw controls, is second in goals and fourth in points.

Jenna Rigo earns her first All-CACC First Team accolades as key part of the Dominican defense.  She leads the Chargers in caused turnovers and groundballs, while sitting second in the CACC in caused turnovers and 10th in groundballs.

Goalie Kristinamarie Kaszovitz was named to the All-CACC Second Team after earning first team honors and Goalkeeper of the Year recoginition in 2022.  She leads the CACC in save percentage, goals against and goals against average while being 11th in saves.

Hahn has helped Georgian Court (9-8, 8-2) to the No. 4 seed in the upcoming CACC Championship tournament. She has started all 17 Lion games in cage, registering a .442 save percentage (third in the CACC) and a 12.27 goals-against average (fourth).

Alliance, led by head coach Doug Walker, was chosen by the league's coaches as the team that best demonstrated outstanding character and class during the regular season. Alliance claims the CACC Team Sportsmanship Award for the fifth consecutive completed season.

The coaches also voted on the All-CACC First and Second Teams, which are listed below. Dominican led the way with seven overall selections, including six First-Teamers.

The CACC Championship tournament begins today with two first-round games. The No. 6 seed University of Bridgeport travels to No. 3 seed Wilmington, and No. 4 seed Holy Family University plays at No. 3 seed Georgian Court. Both opening draws occur at 3:30 p.m.

Dominican and second-seeded Thomas Jefferson University received byes into the semifinals. Post University will host the semis and finals on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, on its Waterbury, Conn., campus. More information is available at https://caccathletics.org/sports/Championship/2022-23/WLAX

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Caitlin Costello (Dominican University)

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
 Madelyn Grella (Dominican University)

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Erin Carr (Dominican University)

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Alexis Hahn (Georgian Court University)

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE COACH OF THE YEAR
Rob Grella (Dominican University)

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Alliance University

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE FIRST-TEAM ALL CONFERENCE
A Caitlin Costello (Dominican University)
A Grace DeStasio (Dominican University)
A Madelyn Grella (Dominican University)
A Rianna Shields (Holy Family University)
M Erica Ortiz (Dominican University)
M Remi Reinhardt (Georgian Court University)
M Ella Royer (Wilmington University)
M Mackenzie Santucci (Holy Family University)
D Erin Carr (Dominican University)
D Faith Hardy (Thomas Jefferson University)
D Lynn Hardy (Holy Family University)
D Jenna Rigo (Dominican University)
G Alexis Hahn (Georgian Court University)

2023 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE SECOND-TEAM ALL CONFERENCE
A Erin Avanzato (Thomas Jefferson University)
A Ellie Lefton (Thomas Jefferson University)
A Riley O'Connor (Georgian Court University)
A Alyssa Wahl (Georgian Court University)
M Andrea Basilicato (University of Bridgeport)
M Amelie Gamache (Wilmington University)
M Iris Gluck (Thomas Jefferson University)
M Makenzie Stritzinger (Wilmington University)
D Molly Killion (Chestnut Hill College)
D Tereza Kreuzova (University of Bridgeport)
D Kelsey Naclerio (Georgian Court University)
D Payton Pugh (Holy Family University)
G Kristinamarie Kaszovitz (Dominican University)

The aim of Dominican University New York is to promote educational excellence, leadership, and service in an environment characterized by respect for the individual and concern for the community and its needs. Founded by the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, the university is an independent institution of higher learning, Catholic in origin and heritage. In the Dominican tradition, it fosters the active, shared pursuit of truth and embodies an ideal of education rooted in the values of reflective understanding and compassionate involvement.  Committed to building its programs upon a strong foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, the university maintains a student-centered climate and serves a diverse community of students in undergraduate and graduate programs. The university empowers this community of learners to excel, lead and serve with integrity and to engage responsibly in the pursuit of a more just, ethical and sustainable world.  Dominican also sponsors 18 varsity intercollegiate sports that compete at the NCAA Division II level.  To learn more about Dominican University New York, please visit www.duny.edu.