WASHINGTON - The Georgetown University women's lacrosse program held its annual banquet on Saturday at the Georgetown Conference Center. The banquet honored the 2018 Hoyas for their accomplishments to this point in the year. The seven team awards, voted on by the team, were announced and the squad's achievements were also recognized.

Sophomore Natalie Lynch (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) was named the team MVP. The midfielder has done a little bit of everything for the Hoyas this season. She is fourth in scoring with 22 goals and nine assists for 31 points, while also ranking first in draw controls (55) and caused turnovers (18). She has earned BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week (4/17) and BIG EAST Honor Roll (4/3) recognition this year. Lynch has also moved into the GU record books in career draw controls with 76 (19th) and season draw controls with 55 (8th).

The Sheehan Stanwick Rookie of the Year award went to freshman Mollier Miller (Alexandria, Va./Saint Stephens & Saint Agnes). The defender has started all 15 games for the Blue & Gray helping the team to a 11-4 overall record. She was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on April 10 for her efforts against Denver and Butler. Miller currently has one assist on the year and ranks third on the team in caused turnovers with 11 to her credit.

The Most Improved Award was given to midfielder Coulby Riehl (Cockeysville, Md./Notre Dame Prep). The sophomore has helped the Hoyas to a 6-1 record since moving into the starting lineup. She has eight caused turnovers and one draw control to her credit, but has done a lot of the little things to make the Hoyas successful.

Junior defender Megan Massimino (Villanova, Pa./Radnor) was given the Denis Kanach Hoya Award which recognizes the unsung hero who best demonstrates unselfish play and true team spirit. Massimino has started all 15 games for the Hoyas this year tallying nine caused turnovers and 11 ground balls. She has played an integral role on the back line the past two seasons and is one of the more active leaders in the locker room.

Senior attacker and captain Sarah Cheney (Loudonville, N.Y./Shaker) was the winner of the Kim Simons Coaches' Award for the player that best demonstrates the qualities of coachability, positive attitude and leadership. Cheney has appeared in 14 games this season. She has four goals and one assist for five points on the year to go along with five ground balls, one caused turnover and one draw control. This is the second-consecutive season the two-year captain has won the Coaches' Award.

The Bulldog Award, given to a player that displayed outstanding effort and contributions to the squad, was awarded to junior Taylor Gebhardt (Baldwinsville, N.Y./C.W. Baker). The attacker is leading the team in scoring with 47 goals and nine assists for 56 points. She has scored the game winner in the past two victories and earning BIG EAST weekly honors on April 17. With her impressive numbers, she ranks 15th in career goals (110) and 17th in career points (138). Gebhardt sits in 17th in the season ranking with 47 goals.

The coaching staff also chooses to recognize a person that has made a significant impact on the squad. This year, Athletic Trainer Erin Mulligan received the honor. Mulligan has been the backbone of the program for three seasons and she has worked tirelessly to prepare the student-athletes for games and practice. This year has been especially hectic as two starters suffered season-ending injuries. Along with her daily duties, Mulligan works with injured players to rehab through their setbacks and back on the field.

The event concluded with a tribute to the graduates and remarks from the juniors and seniors.

The Hoyas are 11-4 on the year with two games remaining in the regular season. The squad has already solidified a BIG EAST Championship berth for the 12th-consecutive year, making GU the only school in the conference to qualify for the tournament every year of its existence.

The Hoyas will close out the home schedule on Wednesday as the squad hosts the No. 10/8 Loyola University Greyhounds at 3 p.m. at Cooper Field. The game was rescheduled from earlier this season when it was called for inclement weather. Live stats and a webcast featuring Monika Moore will be available at www.GUHoyas.com.