Cate Lewison Wins SCIAC Newcomer of the Year in Second Sport, Seven Athenas Earn All-SCIAC

CLAREMONT, Calif. - First-year midfielder Cate Lewison of the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's lacrosse team earned the SCIAC Newcomer of the Year Award, after also winning the same award for the women's soccer team in the fall, while seven Athenas earned spots on the All-SCIAC teams, the league office announced today.

Lewison was joined on the All-SCIAC first team by goalie Kendall Chapko and attacker Bella Lynch, while midfielders Taylor Daetz, Emme McMullen and Emma Merk and attacker Grace Minturn were on the second team. 

Lewison was productive on both ends of the field, as well in the draw control circle, as a midfielder for CMS this season. She ranks second on the team in both goals (33) and points (50), while ranking first in caused turnovers (20), ground balls (47) and draw controls (69). She earned the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week after four ground balls and seven caused turnovers against Chapman on March 29, and had some big offensive performances as well, including six goals against Occidental (when she added five caused turnovers and five ground balls), and five goals and two assists against Oneonta. 

Chapko started 14 of the 16 games for the Athenas in goal this season and tallied a 10-4 record and a .464 save percentage, including .516 in conference games. She had a season-high 13 saves against nationally ranked Chicago, followed by 11 in an overtime win over Colorado College, and had nine first-half saves in a home win over Chapman, after tallying eight saves and only three goals allowed in the first half of the road meeting with Chapman earlier this season. 

Lynch led CMS in points (58) and assists (27) this year as the team's top feeder. She was twice named the SCIAC Offensive Player of the Week, including once after the opening week of the season in February, and then after the closing week of the regular season in April. She had three goals and five assists against Whittier and Occidental on opening week, and added a season-high four goals in an overtime win over Colorado College, a figure she matched in the second meeting with Occidental. She closed out the regular season with three goals and three assists against both Chapman and Redlands.  

Daetz had 13 goals and three assists on the year, and was key on draw controls, tallying 50 on the year to rank second behind Lewison. McMullen had 26 goals on the season, including a season-high five at Chapman. Merk tallied 26 goals and 10 assists, to go with 29 ground balls and 14 caused turnovers, and had four goals against Colorado College and three against Pomona-Pitzer. Minturn led CMS in goals this season with 35 as a first-year, including four goal games against Occidental, Oneonta and Redlands. 

CMS will take its 12-4 record into the postseason, hoping to earn its way back to the NCAA Division III Championships. The Athenas meet Chapman on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in one of two SCIAC Semifinals, with the winner moving on to Saturday's championship against the winner between Pomona-Pitzer and Occidental.