WASHINGTON – The Georgetown University women's lacrosse program held its annual banquet on Saturday at the Georgetown Conference Center. The banquet honored the 2019 Hoyas for their accomplishments to this point in the year. Six of the seven team awards, voted on by the team, were announced and the squad's achievements were also recognized.
 
Senior midfielder and captain Francesca Whitehurst (Baltimore, Md. / Roland Park Country School) was named the team MVP. Whitehurst is currently leading the Hoyas in scoring with 30 goals and a team-high 25 assists for 55 points.  She is also first in draw controls with 53.  The senior has been named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Week three times this season and earned three nods to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.  She is among the top 20 in career points and goals and sits at third all-time in assists in program history.
 
The Sheehan Stanwick Rookie of the Year award went to freshman Ali Diamond (Lafayette Hill, Pa. / Plymouth-Whitemarsh). The attacker has appeared in all 16 games for the Blue & Gray sitting at eighth in scoring with seven goals and five assists for 12 points on the season.
 
The Most Improved Award was given to defender Katie Hudson (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. / Cold Spring Harbor). The junior moved into the starting lineup midway through the year and is currently tied for second on the team in caused turnovers with 18 to her credit.  Following some big performances, she was named the BIG EAST Defender of the Week on April 16 after scoring her first-career goal in a win at Villanova.
 
Senior attacker Mariah Matheis (Darien, Conn. / Darien) was given the Denis Kanach Hoya Award which recognizes the unsung hero who best demonstrates unselfish play and true team spirit. She also won the Red Star Award for her efforts on the scout team throughout the season.  Matheis has appeared in five games with one start to her credit this season.  She has tallied a goal and an assist on the year.  Fried described her as the ultimate team player working incredibly hard to fight for minutes every day, but also having set goals to help the team in every role she plays.
 
Senior defender and captain Megan Massimino (Villanova, Pa. / Radnor) was the winner of the Kim Simons Coaches' Award for the player that best demonstrates the qualities of coachability, positive attitude and leadership. Massimino started all 13 games she played in before being sidelined with a season-ending injury against Denver.  The defender was the key component in GU's defensive corps and she had 13 caused turnovers in as many games played as a senior.
 
The Bulldog Award, given to a player that displayed outstanding effort and contributions to the squad, was awarded to senior captain Morgan Ryan (Maplewood, N.J. / Oak Knoll School). Ryan is Georgetown's third-leading scorer but leads the team in goals with 38 to go along with three assists for 41 points on the year.  She has started all 16 games for the Blue & Gray and was named BIG EAST Attacker of the Week on April 16 after earned a nod to the honor roll earlier in the season.  Ryan is among the top 20 on the all-time lists for goals (99) and points (128).
 
The coaching staff also chooses to recognize a person that has made a significant impact on the squad. This year, Sports Performance Coach Matt Elsasser received the honor.  This is Elsasser's first season with the team and both the staff and players credited him with getting the team excited and motivated in the weight room.   
 
The event concluded with a tribute to the graduates and remarks from the juniors and seniors.
 
The Hoyas are 9-7 on the year with one game remaining in the regular season. The squad has already solidified a BIG EAST Championship berth for the 13th-consecutive year, making GU the only school in the conference to qualify for the tournament every year of its existence.
 
Georgetown will close out regular season play on Saturday as the squad travels to Marquette University for a 3 p.m. ET matchup with the Golden Eagles.  The game will be broadcast live on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) Live stats will be available at www.GUHoyas.com. 
 
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