Taylor and Whitaker Unanimous First Team All-Conference; Five Players Earn Postseason Honors

IRVING, Texas- Five members of the Temple lacrosse team have received American Athletic Conference post-season honors, as voted on by league coaches. Senior defender Courtney Taylor and senior midfielder Bridget Whitaker highlight the awards. The senior captains have unanimously been named First-Team All-Conference. For both Taylor and Whitaker, is their second time receiving postseason honors from the American. Whitaker was awarded First-Team All-Conference in 2019, while Taylor was named Second-Team All-Conference the same year.

Fifth-year attacker Meghan Hoffman was named First-Team All-Conference alongside sophomore midfielder Belle Mastropietro. Fifth-year midfielder Kara Nakrasius earned Second-Team All-Conference honors. Four players is most first team All-Conference members Temple lacrosse has had since they were members of the Atlantic-10 in 2003.

Taylor had a standout season leading the Owl defense. The senior was the national leader in both total ground balls (61) and ground balls per game (4.07). She also placed third in the nation in caused turnovers (37) and seventh in caused turnovers per game (2.47). Taylor led the American in all four categories. She was honored by the AAC four times during the regular season, tying her for the team lead.

Whitaker was outstanding in all phases of the game. The midfielder led the team in goals, with 37, and finished near the top in several other statistical categories. She placed second on the team in points (50), shots (76), ground balls (31), caused turnovers (21), and finished third in assists (13). Whitaker finished in the American top ten of seven different statistical rankings. Highlights include being second in game-winning goals, third in draw controls per game, and fourth in goals per game.

Hoffman had a record-breaking season from her X spot in the Temple offense. The fifth-year attacker tied the 40-year-old record for single game assists with seven against East Carolina. This was only a part of her larger campaign to set a new single-season assist record, which she accomplished two games later against Vanderbilt. Her 40 assists on the year rank sixth in the NCAA. She also added 19 goals for a total of 59 points, placing her third in the American.

Mastropietro makes her first All-Conference appearance. The sophomore had an impressive season, which saw her place second on the team and fifth in the conference in goals. She started the year especially strong, scoring three straight hat tricks and earning conference weekly honors in three of the first four weeks of the season. The midfielder placed second in the American in shots per game (6.31) and also added 10 assists. Her 3.08 points per game rank ninth in the conference.

Nakrasius was the epitome of a two-way midfielder this season. The fifth-year contributed in all facets of the game, ranking at or near the top of several stat rankings in the American before suffering a season-ending injury against Cincinnati. Nakrasius played at an elite level in the draw control circle. Her 4.55 draw controls per game place her at fourth in the American and she was particularly strong against Florida, where she won an outstanding 11 draws. She also gained a reputation for making clutch plays, sinking game-winning goals against Saint Joseph's and Old Dominion.

Temple will be back in action tomorrow against Vanderbilt in the American Tournament semifinals. Kickoff against the Commodores is at 7:30 p.m., the game will be streamed on ESPN+.