TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team garnered nine accolades, including two major awards, as the American Athletic Conference announced its inaugural annual awards today, awards that included Kylie Nause being named the AAC Freshman of the Year, seven individuals earning all-conference and the Bearcats coaches being named the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year. All the awards were selected by votes from the six head coaches in the league following the conclusion of the regular season over the weekend.
// AND THE WINNER IS...
Bearcats won two of the six major awards with Nause being named the AAC Freshman of the Year and coaches, including head coach Gina Thomas and assistants Shannon Witzel and Caitlin Prince, earning the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor. It marks the first time the program has won any major conference awards in the 11 years the Bearcats have been members of a league.
Additionally, seven players earned AAC All-Conference accolades, including four players on the first team and three more on the second team. Nause earned a place on the first team and was joined by Monica Borzillo, who was a unanimous selection, Sam Mlkvy and Morgan Dukes. The three Bearcats that earned second-team honors included Amanda Donovan, Giuliana Durso and Adrianna Fess.
// BIG NUMBERS
With the awards earned this year, the 2019 squad created several records with their selections to the all-conference teams. Along with UC earning its first two major conference honors, the seven all-conference awards more than doubles what UC attained in the previous nine years in the Big East as they captured six, all of which came in the previous four seasons. Prior to this year, UC has earned one first-team and five second-team accolades with only one time seeing multiple honors earned as Borzillo and Donovan were both selected to the Big East second team in 2017. Additional history made this year includes Borzillo earning the first unanimous selection to an all-conference team; Durso becoming the first goalie earning an all-conference accolade; Mlkvy becoming the first midfield player to earn first-team honors; and Nause the first freshman to earn first team honors.
// BOSS NAUSE
Nause has put together a stellar rookie campaign, one that has seen her lead the league's freshmen in both goals scored (36) and points (40) and posted nine hat tricks, including a streak of seven in a row during the middle of the season. Throughout the year, she was tabbed as the AAC Freshman of the Week five times as well and currently ranks among the Top 10 in the NCAA among freshmen goal scorers. The first UC player to earn a major award from a conference, Nause also was selected AAC First Team All-Conference, making her the first UC freshman to earn first-team accolades and just the second all-time following Borzillo's second-team nod in 2017.
For the season, Nause ranks third on the team in scoring with 40 points and second in goals with 36. She has added two game-winining goals and seven free-position goals as well. She also has etched her name in the season record book as she is currently ranked tied for eighth in goals (36), fourth in hat tricks (9), seventh in shots (80), eighth in shots on goal (62) and tied for third in game-winning goals (2).
// STAFF OF THE YEAR
For the first time in program history, the coaching staff was honored as head coach Thomas and assistant coaches Witzel and Prince were voted as the coaching staff of the year. Heading into the year, the Bearcats were picked to finish fifth in the AAC and miss the tournament. However, the team improved its overall win total for the fourth year in a row, doubled is all-time conference wins haul and challenged for the league crown, going 4-1 overall to earn the second seed in the tournament. The Bearcats broke numerous records throughout the year, including overall wins (11), conference wins (4), home wins (8), overall wins in a row (8), home wins in a row (8) and will post the first over .500 winning percentage in program history (currently .667). Added to that, six different statistical records have been broken with two more in sight heading into the tournament. The records broken include 241 goals (+41), 100 assists (+14), 341 points (+54), 11 game-winning goals (+3), 244 draw controls (+12) and 211 caused turnovers (+24). The two records they are closing on include ground balls (need 10) and free-position goals scored (need one).
// UNANIMOUS SELECTION
To say it has been a career year for Borzillo might be an understatement as the junior ranks fourth in the nation with 101 points, tied for seventh with 57 goals and ninth with 44 assists while also ranking second nationally in points per game (5.94). The first UC player to earn a unanimous selection to an all-conference team, Borzillo also is the first player to earn three all-conference honors after being selected to the Big East second team each of the past two years.
This year along, Borzillo has taken down seven individual school records, including goals (57), hat tricks (11), assists (44), points (101), shots (124), shots on goal (94) and game-winning goals (4) while also ranking second in free-position goals (12), third in caused turnovers (32) and tied for sixth in ground balls (48). Borzillo also broke her own records in single-game points with 11 twice (at Stetson and vs. Kent State), assists with six at #20 Michigan and tied the record for free-position goals in a game with three. Those 11 points also set a single-game record in the AAC. She also scored six or more goals in a game four times, including seven twice to rank second all-time behind her own eight-goal performance in 2018.
// PUT UP YOUR DUKES
Just a sophomore, Dukes has become one of the top defenders for the Bearcats and was rewarded with first team honors, making her the second UC player to earn the highest recognition after Kyara Byner was named Big East First Team in 2016, the only time any UC player had been named first team until this year. Dukes leads the team with 59 ground balls, which ranks second in single-season history (Meg Gulmi, 61, 2015) while also ranking third in caused turnovers with 24, the eighth-highest total in a single season at UC. A starter in all 17 games this year, Dukes has helped the Bearcats defense to allowing 217 goals, the third-lowest total in program history, while limiting seven opponents to nine or fewer goals in a game, the second-most in a single-season behind only the eight games recorded in 2016.
// MIGHTY MLKVY
The first midfield player to earn first team accolades in program history, Mlkvy has done it all this year. Throughout the year, she has led the team in draw controls as she has recorded a program-record 88 controls this year, bettering her previous best of 70 accumulated last year. She also has 43 points on 30 goals and 13 assists this year, the 10th-highest single-season total in program history. She also has tallied six hat tricks this year, tying for the seventh-most in a season and equaling her total of last year. On a single-game level, she has twice recorded double-digit controls this year, including 11 against Ohio State and 10 against Vanderbilt, which ties for the second and fourth-best totals. She also recorded eight ground balls against Gardner-Webb, tying for the seventh-best total in a single game at UC.
// ALL-AROUND AD
Donovan's second-team accolade is the second of her career after earning the same distinction in the Big East after the 2017 season and makes her and Borzillo the only two Bearcats to earn multiple honors in program history. This year, Donovan has done it all as she not only ranked sixth in scoring with 28 points, but was the only player to record at least 30 ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers this year. Donovan scored 19 times and added nine assists on the year while ranking third in ground balls with 47, second in caused turnovers with 30 and third in draw controls with 32. For the season, her 47 ground balls rank as the eighth-best total in UC history while her 30 caused turnovers stand as the fourth-best total.
// SOLID WALL
Playing in her senior season, Durso saved the best for the best for last as she has recorded 11 wins in goal, the most in a single season in program history (bettering her eight from last year) while bringing her career total to 19, the most in program history. The first goalie to earn all-conference honors in program history, Durso carries a 13.19 goals-against average and a .404 save percentage while making 126 saves. On a season level, her 126 saves and 7.41 saves per game average rank ninth all-time at UC while 13.19 GAA is sixth. For her career, she currently ranks third in saves with 291, second in save percentage at .428 and fourth in GAA at 12.90.
// PLAYING DRI-FENSE
Fess had an outstanding year on the defensive end of the field as the junior was fourth on the team in ground balls with 43 and fifth overall in caused turnovers with 21. In fact, her 43 ground balls in 2019 rank as the 10th-most in a single season in program history. A starter in all 17 games, she led the team in ground balls three times this year, including a career-high six last week at Stetson. She also was the team leader in caused turnovers in five games this year, posting a career-high three in four different games, including three consecutive league contests.
// TOURNAMENT TIME
The Bearcats return to the field Thursday in the second of two semifinal games being played at the Sheakley Athletic Center in Cincinnati. UC, the AAC Tournament's #2 seed, will face #3 seed Temple 45 minutes following the conclusion of the first semifinal game between #1 Florida and #4 Vanderbilt. The winners will meet for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday.
// POSTSEASON AWARDS
MAJOR AWARDS
Freshman of the Year • AAC
2019 • Kylie Nause
Coaching Staff of the Year • AAC
2019 • Cincinnati (Gina Thomas, Shannon Witzel, Caitlin Prince)
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
American Athletic Conference (2019-)
2019 • Monica Borzillo • First *
2019 • Morgan Dukes • First
2019 • Sam Mlkvy • First
2019 • Kylie Nause • First
2019 • Amanda Donovan • Second
2019 • Giuliana Durso • Second
2019 • Adrianna Fess • Second
Big East Conference (2009-18)
2018 • Monica Borzillo • Second
2017 • Monica Borzillo • Second
2017 • Amanda Donovan • Second
2016 • Kyara Byner • First
2015 • Courtney Curtis • Second
// AND THE WINNER IS...
Bearcats won two of the six major awards with Nause being named the AAC Freshman of the Year and coaches, including head coach Gina Thomas and assistants Shannon Witzel and Caitlin Prince, earning the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor. It marks the first time the program has won any major conference awards in the 11 years the Bearcats have been members of a league.
Additionally, seven players earned AAC All-Conference accolades, including four players on the first team and three more on the second team. Nause earned a place on the first team and was joined by Monica Borzillo, who was a unanimous selection, Sam Mlkvy and Morgan Dukes. The three Bearcats that earned second-team honors included Amanda Donovan, Giuliana Durso and Adrianna Fess.
// BIG NUMBERS
With the awards earned this year, the 2019 squad created several records with their selections to the all-conference teams. Along with UC earning its first two major conference honors, the seven all-conference awards more than doubles what UC attained in the previous nine years in the Big East as they captured six, all of which came in the previous four seasons. Prior to this year, UC has earned one first-team and five second-team accolades with only one time seeing multiple honors earned as Borzillo and Donovan were both selected to the Big East second team in 2017. Additional history made this year includes Borzillo earning the first unanimous selection to an all-conference team; Durso becoming the first goalie earning an all-conference accolade; Mlkvy becoming the first midfield player to earn first-team honors; and Nause the first freshman to earn first team honors.
// BOSS NAUSE
Nause has put together a stellar rookie campaign, one that has seen her lead the league's freshmen in both goals scored (36) and points (40) and posted nine hat tricks, including a streak of seven in a row during the middle of the season. Throughout the year, she was tabbed as the AAC Freshman of the Week five times as well and currently ranks among the Top 10 in the NCAA among freshmen goal scorers. The first UC player to earn a major award from a conference, Nause also was selected AAC First Team All-Conference, making her the first UC freshman to earn first-team accolades and just the second all-time following Borzillo's second-team nod in 2017.
For the season, Nause ranks third on the team in scoring with 40 points and second in goals with 36. She has added two game-winining goals and seven free-position goals as well. She also has etched her name in the season record book as she is currently ranked tied for eighth in goals (36), fourth in hat tricks (9), seventh in shots (80), eighth in shots on goal (62) and tied for third in game-winning goals (2).
// STAFF OF THE YEAR
For the first time in program history, the coaching staff was honored as head coach Thomas and assistant coaches Witzel and Prince were voted as the coaching staff of the year. Heading into the year, the Bearcats were picked to finish fifth in the AAC and miss the tournament. However, the team improved its overall win total for the fourth year in a row, doubled is all-time conference wins haul and challenged for the league crown, going 4-1 overall to earn the second seed in the tournament. The Bearcats broke numerous records throughout the year, including overall wins (11), conference wins (4), home wins (8), overall wins in a row (8), home wins in a row (8) and will post the first over .500 winning percentage in program history (currently .667). Added to that, six different statistical records have been broken with two more in sight heading into the tournament. The records broken include 241 goals (+41), 100 assists (+14), 341 points (+54), 11 game-winning goals (+3), 244 draw controls (+12) and 211 caused turnovers (+24). The two records they are closing on include ground balls (need 10) and free-position goals scored (need one).
// UNANIMOUS SELECTION
To say it has been a career year for Borzillo might be an understatement as the junior ranks fourth in the nation with 101 points, tied for seventh with 57 goals and ninth with 44 assists while also ranking second nationally in points per game (5.94). The first UC player to earn a unanimous selection to an all-conference team, Borzillo also is the first player to earn three all-conference honors after being selected to the Big East second team each of the past two years.
This year along, Borzillo has taken down seven individual school records, including goals (57), hat tricks (11), assists (44), points (101), shots (124), shots on goal (94) and game-winning goals (4) while also ranking second in free-position goals (12), third in caused turnovers (32) and tied for sixth in ground balls (48). Borzillo also broke her own records in single-game points with 11 twice (at Stetson and vs. Kent State), assists with six at #20 Michigan and tied the record for free-position goals in a game with three. Those 11 points also set a single-game record in the AAC. She also scored six or more goals in a game four times, including seven twice to rank second all-time behind her own eight-goal performance in 2018.
// PUT UP YOUR DUKES
Just a sophomore, Dukes has become one of the top defenders for the Bearcats and was rewarded with first team honors, making her the second UC player to earn the highest recognition after Kyara Byner was named Big East First Team in 2016, the only time any UC player had been named first team until this year. Dukes leads the team with 59 ground balls, which ranks second in single-season history (Meg Gulmi, 61, 2015) while also ranking third in caused turnovers with 24, the eighth-highest total in a single season at UC. A starter in all 17 games this year, Dukes has helped the Bearcats defense to allowing 217 goals, the third-lowest total in program history, while limiting seven opponents to nine or fewer goals in a game, the second-most in a single-season behind only the eight games recorded in 2016.
// MIGHTY MLKVY
The first midfield player to earn first team accolades in program history, Mlkvy has done it all this year. Throughout the year, she has led the team in draw controls as she has recorded a program-record 88 controls this year, bettering her previous best of 70 accumulated last year. She also has 43 points on 30 goals and 13 assists this year, the 10th-highest single-season total in program history. She also has tallied six hat tricks this year, tying for the seventh-most in a season and equaling her total of last year. On a single-game level, she has twice recorded double-digit controls this year, including 11 against Ohio State and 10 against Vanderbilt, which ties for the second and fourth-best totals. She also recorded eight ground balls against Gardner-Webb, tying for the seventh-best total in a single game at UC.
// ALL-AROUND AD
Donovan's second-team accolade is the second of her career after earning the same distinction in the Big East after the 2017 season and makes her and Borzillo the only two Bearcats to earn multiple honors in program history. This year, Donovan has done it all as she not only ranked sixth in scoring with 28 points, but was the only player to record at least 30 ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers this year. Donovan scored 19 times and added nine assists on the year while ranking third in ground balls with 47, second in caused turnovers with 30 and third in draw controls with 32. For the season, her 47 ground balls rank as the eighth-best total in UC history while her 30 caused turnovers stand as the fourth-best total.
// SOLID WALL
Playing in her senior season, Durso saved the best for the best for last as she has recorded 11 wins in goal, the most in a single season in program history (bettering her eight from last year) while bringing her career total to 19, the most in program history. The first goalie to earn all-conference honors in program history, Durso carries a 13.19 goals-against average and a .404 save percentage while making 126 saves. On a season level, her 126 saves and 7.41 saves per game average rank ninth all-time at UC while 13.19 GAA is sixth. For her career, she currently ranks third in saves with 291, second in save percentage at .428 and fourth in GAA at 12.90.
// PLAYING DRI-FENSE
Fess had an outstanding year on the defensive end of the field as the junior was fourth on the team in ground balls with 43 and fifth overall in caused turnovers with 21. In fact, her 43 ground balls in 2019 rank as the 10th-most in a single season in program history. A starter in all 17 games, she led the team in ground balls three times this year, including a career-high six last week at Stetson. She also was the team leader in caused turnovers in five games this year, posting a career-high three in four different games, including three consecutive league contests.
// TOURNAMENT TIME
The Bearcats return to the field Thursday in the second of two semifinal games being played at the Sheakley Athletic Center in Cincinnati. UC, the AAC Tournament's #2 seed, will face #3 seed Temple 45 minutes following the conclusion of the first semifinal game between #1 Florida and #4 Vanderbilt. The winners will meet for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday.
// POSTSEASON AWARDS
MAJOR AWARDS
Freshman of the Year • AAC
2019 • Kylie Nause
Coaching Staff of the Year • AAC
2019 • Cincinnati (Gina Thomas, Shannon Witzel, Caitlin Prince)
ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
American Athletic Conference (2019-)
2019 • Monica Borzillo • First *
2019 • Morgan Dukes • First
2019 • Sam Mlkvy • First
2019 • Kylie Nause • First
2019 • Amanda Donovan • Second
2019 • Giuliana Durso • Second
2019 • Adrianna Fess • Second
Big East Conference (2009-18)
2018 • Monica Borzillo • Second
2017 • Monica Borzillo • Second
2017 • Amanda Donovan • Second
2016 • Kyara Byner • First
2015 • Courtney Curtis • Second