Annville, PA – One day prior to hosting rival Elizabethtown College in the Commonwealth Semifinals, Messiah College women's lacrosse was honored by the conference with eight All-Commonwealth performers. First-year standout Claire Stikeleather led the way in being named Rookie of the Year.
 
Stikeleather was one of three Falcons to be named to the First Team, and becomes the fifth Rookie of the Year from Messiah in the past six seasons. Over 16 games played and started she collected 22 goals, seven assists, and 18 groundballs while boasting a respectable .765 shot on goal percentage (SOG).  She also stepped up for the Falcons in big games, averaging 2.5 points per game in four-game against ranked opponents in late March.
 
Midfielder Cecilia Kjellman and defender Maddie Comfort joined Stikeleather on the First Team, with Kjellman's honor mirroring her First Team election from last season. The dynamic midfielder is currently second on the team in goals (39), points (57), and groundballs (39) and boasts an impressive .806 SOG percentage. Entering this week's contests, Kjellman is fifth all-time in program history in goals (148), sixth in assists (65), and fourth in total points (213).
 
Comfort earns the First Team honor for the first time since 2010 when she played on attack. Arguably the conference's fastest player in the open field, she has established herself as one of the top defenders in the region while setting career-highs in groundballs (46, first on team), caused turnovers (31, first), and draw controls (46, second).
 
Lizzy Keeney earns her third All-Conference award in as many seasons, two of which have been Second Team nods. The 2011 Rookie of the Year has led the Falcons with 52 goals and 67 points in 2013, while collecting an imposing .784 SOG percentage. Her team-high 78 draw controls are also just eight shy of the single-season program record she set last year. 
 
Defender Emily Mumford and goal keeper Taylor Phillips round out the Second Team honorees. Mumford is second on the team behind Comfort with 20 caused turnovers and has collected 33 groundballs. Phillips, now a three-time All-Conference performer, has collected a .466 save percentage and 9.05 goals against average while facing a career-high 339 shots this season. Probably more than any other player on the field, Phillips felt the challenge of the Falcons' grueling schedule in 2013—one that included seven games against teams earning ranking this year in the IWLCA Top 20.
 
Carly Bajus and Gabrielle Hamelryck took home Honorable Mention honors for Messiah, the first such awards for each player. Bajus has put together a break-out season in 2013, notching career-highs in goals (21), points (24), groundballs (18), and draw controls (9). Hamelryck, meanwhile, has become the Falcons' primary facilitator on attack. She's collected 38 assists—just three shy of the program's single-season record—after entering her senior season with just 33 helpers to her name. Entering this week, she is 29^th in the nation in both total assists and assists per game average (2.38).
 
Kathy Railey of Stevenson University took home Coach of the Year honors for the conference, recognition for the Mustangs' undefeated regular-season record (8-0) against league opponents. Marissa Meiklejohn of Stevenson (47g, 19a) took home Player of the Year honors.
 
A complete list of the All-Commonwealth awards can be seen here:

Player of the Year	Marissa Meiklejohn	Stevenson
Coach of the Year	Kathy Railey	Stevenson
Rookie of the Year	Claire Stikeleather	Messiah
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First Team
Position	Name	School	Year	Hometown	High School
Attack	Leigh Ann Flounlacker	Elizabethtown	SO	Ocean City, MD	Stephen Decatur
Attack	Hana Krechel	Lebanon Valley	SR	Fawn Grove, PA	Kennard-Dale
Attack	Leah Warner	Stevenson	JR	Pasadena, MD	Northeast
Midfield	Bailey Benz	Lebanon Valley	SO	Ellicott City, MD	Howard
Midfield	Cecilia Kjellman	Messiah	SR	Phippsburg, ME	Brunswick
Midfield	Marissa Meiklejohn	Stevenson	JR	Severn, MD	Old Mill
Midfield	Amanda Smith	Albright	FR	Boyertown, PA	Boyertown
Midfield	Claire Stikeleather	Messiah	FR	Oakton, VA	Oakton
Defense	Olivia Baker	Stevenson	SR	Perry Hall, MD	Catholic
Defense	Maddie Comfort	Messiah	SR	Freehold, NJ	Freehold Twp.
Defense	Meg Gill	Stevenson	SO	White Hall, MD	North Harford
Goal Keeper	Leanne Bittner	Stevenson	SO	Baltimore, MD	Loch Raven
.	.
Second Team
Position	Name	School	Year	Hometown	High School
Attack	Erin Farrell	Albright	FR	Endicott, NY	Union-Endicott
Attack	Lizzy Keeney	Messiah	JR	Cockeysville, MD	Dulaney
Attack	Becky Porter	Elizabethtown	SR	Phoenixville, PA	Phoenixville
Midfield	Emily Butler	Elizabethtown	SR	Finksburg, MD	Mount de Sales Academy
Midfield	Mackenzie Linquist	Widener	SO	Ocean City, NJ	Ocean City
Midfield	Anna Pagels	Lebanon Valley	SO	Hampstead, MD	North Carroll
Midfield	Brook Strausser	Lycoming	SR	Myerstown, PA	Conrad Weiser
Midfield	Alyssa Verillo	Alvernia	SR	North Wales, PA	Archbishop Wood
Defense	Emily Mumford	Messiah	JR	Flemington, NJ	Hunterdon Central Regional
Defense	Lindsay Schilling	Lycoming	SR	Woodbine, MD	South Carroll
Defense	Sara Vanderbogart	Lebanon Valley	JR	Boonton Twp, NJ	Mountain Lakes
Goal Keeper	Taylor Phillips	Messiah	SR	Berlin, MD	Stephen Decatur
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Honorable Mention
Position	Name	School	Year	Hometown	High School
Midfield	Carly Bajus	Messiah	SO	Arnold, MD	Rockbridge
Midfield	Julia Costello	Widener	SR	Brookhaven, PA	Cardinal O'Hara
Goal Keeper	Lauren Couch	Hood	FR	Crownsville, Md	Old Mill
Midfield	Meghan Garvey	Widener	FR	Landenberg, PA	Avon Grove
Attack	Gabrielle Hamelryck	Messiah	SR	Annapolis, MD	Homeschooled
Midfield	Caitlin Knight	Elizabethtown	SO	Perry Hall, MD	Institute of Notre Dame
Midfield	Amanda LeGar	Stevenson	SO	Eldersburg, MD	Liberty
Midfield	Melanie Modrick	Lebanon Valley	JR	Leesport, PA	Schuylkill Valley
Defense	Alexis Morris	Elizabethtown	SR	Whiteford, MD	North Harford
Midfield	Nora Walsh	Alvernia	JR	Hatfield, Pa	Lansdale Catholic
Midfield	Meghan Wilson	Albright	SO	Barnegat, NJ	Barnegat

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