LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its third set of Women's Lacrosse Athletes of the Week. In the East, East Stroudsburg's Sadie Kauffman and West Chester's Lila McMahon-Skates were named Co-Athletes of the Week while East Stroudsburg's Abby Simonetti earned Defensive Athlete of the Week. In the West, Lock Haven's Makayla Kelly (Athlete) and Slippery Rock's Paige Jenkins (Defensive) were recognized.
Eastern Division Co-Athlete of the Week
Sadie Kauffman
East Stroudsburg
Attack
Sophomore
Ocean City, Md. / Stephan Decatur High School
Kauffman put together another dominating week as the ESU women's lacrosse team went 2-0 against Bloomsburg and Shippensburg, as the sophomore recorded 11 goals, three assists, and 17 draw controls. Kauffman wasted no time on Wednesday in the Warriors' conference home opener against Bloomsburg, scoring the first goal of the game 11 seconds in. She'd go on to finish with four goals on seven shots with an assist and a season-high nine draw controls. Closing out the week against Shippensburg, she tallied seven more goals, a pair of assists, and eight draw controls. Kauffman's play charged a 15-0 run that spanned 28:24 of game time, scoring five of her goals and notching both of her assists during that stretch. She's helped lead the Warriors to the third-longest winning streak in program history, as ESU has started 9-0 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
Eastern Division Co-Athlete of the Week
Lila McMahon-Skates
West Chester
Attack
Senior
West Linn, Ore. / West Linn
McMahon-Skates scored six goals and assisted on eight others for a total of 14 points in West Chester's two wins last week. McMahon-Skates scored three times and assisted on three others while scooping up four ground balls and causing one turnover in a win over No. 15 Kutztown on Wednesday. She then scored three more times at Shepherd on the weekend and added five assists for an eight-point game. The team co-captain runs the “X" behind the cage and currently leads the team in assists and is second in goals scored.
Eastern Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Abby Simonetti
East Stroudsburg
Goalkeeper
Graduate Student
Millington, Md. / Queen Anne's County
Fresh off being named last week's top defensive athlete in the PSAC East, Abby Simonetti delivered another shutdown stretch in net for ESU against Bloomsburg and Shippensburg. Simonetti only had to play the first quarter for ESU against Bloomsburg, as the Warriors jumped out to an 8-1 lead with her between the pipes. On Saturday, at Shippensburg, Simonetti stood on her head for her best performance of the season. She made a season-high 17 saves, posting a .737 save percentage, allowing the Warriors to go on a 15-0 run in their 20-6 win over the Raiders. During that stretch, Simonetti made eight straight stops, allowing ESU to get out in transition and score quickly on offense to extend its lead. Her play in net has helped the Warriors start the season with a 9-0 record, the third-longest winning streak in program history.
Western Division Athlete of the Week
Makayla Kelly
Lock Haven
Attack
Junior
Kennett Square, Pa. / Kennett
Kelly totaled nine goals, seven draw controls and two caused turnovers on the week. Kelly scored four goals, won five draw controls, and caused two turnovers at Frostburg State on Wednesday. Kelly added five goals, an assist and two draw controls in a 19-7 win over Edinboro on Saturday.
Western Division Defensive Athlete of the Week
Paige Jenkins
Slippery Rock
Defense
Junior
Bethlehem, Pa. / Freedom
Jenkins had a dominant defensive week for Slippery Rock as The Rock limited two opponents to just eight total goals on the week with an 11-6 road win at Newberry and a 24-2 home win over Gannon. She finished the week with 10 caused turnovers, eight ground balls and six draw controls. That included six caused turnovers at Newberry and four caused turnovers in just over one half of work against Gannon. Jenkins is now No. 4 in the nation in caused turnovers per game and SRU is now No. 2 nationally in both scoring defense and caused turnovers per game.