McGhee & Steele Earn All-American for Women's Lacrosse
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The NAIA released the first and second-team All-Americans for 2022 on Monday afternoon and Reinhardt Women's Lacrosse had two players selected. Senior, Morgan McGhee, and Sophomore, Ashley Steele, were selected for their play in the 2022 season and playoffs.
McGhee has put up great numbers over her time playing for the Eagles Lacrosse Program and has proven her leadership from the beginning. She was the Captain and MVP of the team, Offensive Player of the Year for the AAC, and she was selected to the NAIA All-Tournament Team as well. She very well could have been selected as NAIA Player of the Year - she is really just that good. She made the program better over her time with the lacrosse program and is leaving it in great shape for the future. Coach Reynolds had this to say about Morgan McGhee, "Morgan has been a huge factor in this program's success since her freshman year. She's the rock this house was built and she will be missed not only for her lax ability but for her leadership and friendship."
Here are some career stats for Morgan McGhee, which include the numbers for this season and playoffs.
CAREER Stats | 2022 Stats |
234 Goals | 49 Goals in 2022 |
170 Assists | 65 Assists in 2022 |
404 Points | 114 Points in 2022 |
326 Draw Controls | 76 Draw Controls in 2022 |
333 Ground Balls | 83 Ground Balls in 2022 |
132 Caused Turnovers | 57 Caused Turnovers in 2022 |
Ashley Steele showed her versatility this season as she had to move to more of a defensive role when the backline suffered a few injuries. She did an amazing job and it paid off by being selected to NAIA 2nd Team All-American. Stelle was a standout performer for the strong Eagles Lacrosse Team this past season. Along with being selected as an All-American - she also received All-Conference honors. The defense never gets the attention that it deserves because the offensive stats are normally what people focus their attention on, but Steele's contribution to this team did not go unnoticed. Her performance was noticed and recognized by the people "in the know" of lacrosse where the defense does not go unnoticed. In addition, Steele has a few more years with the program to follow in McGhee's footsteps of helping the program to continue to grow and bring in top-level talent. Coach Reynolds had this to say about Ashley Steele, "Ashley came in and was asked to completely change her game to meet a team need. She definitely stepped up to become a very important part of our defense and our great season this year.
Congratulations to Morgan McGhee and Ashley Steele on this well-deserved honor. The Eagle Nation is very proud you and the Eagle's Lacrosse Program!
Below is the release from the NAIA containing all members of the All-American teams and other awards.
2022 NAIA Women's Lacrosse All-Americans, Coach, and Player of the Year
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The NAIA has announced the 2022 Women's Lacrosse All-Americans as well as the Coach and Player of the Year.
Coach Mary Ann Meltzer was announced as the NAIA Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year in her 7th season as head coach at Lawrence Tech (Mich.). Meltzer guided her team to an undefeated regular season which led to them being the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament Champion. The team continued on their win streak into the national tournament until they were stopped by Benedictine (Kan.) in the championship game. This is the second time that Meltzer has been named coach of the year (2016-17).
Bella Ricchiazzi of Cumberlands (Ky.) was announced as the NAIA Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year. Ricchiazzi played in all 21 games for the Patriots this year and ranks second in the nation in points (161) assists (61) and goals (100). Ricchiazzi helped to lead her team to the national championship quarterfinals this year. The senior set a season-high of eight goals against Thomas More (Ky.) and seven assists against Georgetown (Ky.) and Thomas More (Ky.).
All of the selections are made by the All-America Committee and are comprised of first and second teams. There are 15 members on each of the All-America teams.
NAIA First Team All-American
Name | School | Position | Year |
Abby Barnewold | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | Def. | Sr. |
Aidan McEnerney | Benedictine (Kan.) | Att. | Sr. |
Bella Ricchiazzi | Cumberlands (Ky.) | Att. | Jr. |
Clare Ryan | Benedictine (Kan.) | Att. | Sr. |
Hannah Reeder | Keiser (Fla.) | Def. | Jr. |
Jessi Vazzana | Georgetown (Ky.) | Def. | Jr. |
Kate Gauntlett | Montreat (N.C.) | Att. | Jr. |
Leanne Windon | Life (Ga.) | Def. | Jr. |
Madison Andrews | Keiser (Fla.) | Mid. | So. |
Maria Arvizu | Life (Ga.) | Mid. | Sr. |
Marissa Cirino | Siena Heights (Mich.) | Mid. | Sr. |
Morgan McGhee | Reinhardt (Ga.) | Att. | Sr. |
Natalie Wecheter | Benedictine (Kan.) | Mid. | Sr |
Olivia McCarrell | Cumberlands (Ky.) | GK | So. |
Trinity Brown | Cumberlands (Ky.) | Def. | Jr. |
NAIA Second Team All-American
Name | School | Position | Year |
Abbey Smentowksi | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | Att. | Sr. |
Alexis Villarini | Aquinas (Mich.) | Def. | So. |
Annabelle Acluche | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | GK | So. |
Ashley Steele | Reinhardt (Ga.) | Def. | So. |
Axey Vang | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | Def. | Sr. |
Bella Burke | Lawrence Tech (Mich.) | Mid. | Sr. |
Brianna Freeman | Life (Ga.) | Att. | Sr. |
Erica Odell | Benedictine (Kan.) | Mid. | Sr. |
Lexi Santiago | Life (Ga.) | Def. | Fr. |
Melanie Brown | Keiser (Fla.) | Att. | Jr. |
Reegan Hensley | Cumberlands (Ky.) | Mid. | So. |
Rianna England | Benedictine (Kan.) | Def. | Sr. |
Samantha Esher | Webber International (Fla.) | Att. | Fr. |
Skii Bollinger | St. Andrews (N.C.) | Mid. | Sr. |
Sophia Millia | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | Att. | Sr. |