The Atlantic Coast Conference has honored five individuals as recipients of the 2017 ACC Women’s Lacrosse annual awards, as voted on by the league’s eight head coaches. Louisville goalie Brittany Read was one of the five recipients, earning ACC Defender of the Year. Read becomes the first Louisville player to earn an ACC Player of the Year award.
“There are no words to appropriately express how proud I am of Brittany,” said head coach Kellie Young. “She has not only grown into an incredible keeper but matured into a strong and confident woman that is a pillar of our program.”
Read leads the ACC in saves (186), save percentage (.518) and saves per game (10.33). She owns the ACC’s second best goals against average (9.58) that also ranks 21st nationally. Her 51.8 saves percentage ranks seventh in Division I, while her 186 saves this season ranks fourth. Read has posted 11 games of double-digit saves this season, including in each of the Cardinals’ last four games. She tied her career-high with 16 saves against Notre Dame.
The junior became Louisville’s all-time leader in career saves (315) this season. Read was also named first team All-ACC and was the ACC Defender of the Week twice this season.
North Carolina senior attacker Molly Hendrick was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and fellow Tar Heel junior midfielder Marie McCool is the first ACC Midfielder of the Year. Virginia midfielder Sammy Mueller earned Freshman of the Year honors, and Syracuse’s Gary Gait is the 2017 ACC Coach of the Year.
2017 ACC Women’s Lacrosse Individual Awards
Attacker of the Year: Molly Hendrick, Sr., A, North Carolina
Midfielder of the Year: Marie McCool, Jr., M, North Carolina
Defender of the Year: Brittany Read, Jr., G, Louisville
Freshman of the Year: Sammy Mueller, Fr., M, Virginia
Coach of the Year: Gary Gait, Syracuse
Kimberli Pemberton
Assistant Sports Information Director