WOODLAND, Calif. – A total of eight San Diego State lacrosse players were named to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation all-academic team, the league office announced Thursday afternoon.
Representing the second-highest total in program history, the eight selections in alphabetical order feature sophomore Bailey Brown, senior Paige Hudak, sophomore Hailey Kovinsky, senior Natalie Peel, sophomore Julia Sheehan, senior Harlowe Steele, junior Taylor Sullivan and fellow classmate Morgan Taylor.
To be eligible for MPSF all-academic consideration, a student-athlete must carry a 3.00 or higher cumulative grade point average, be at least a sophomore academically, finish one full academic year at their school, and compete in 50 percent or more of their team's games.
Sheehan, who received MPSF all-academic recognition for the first time in her career, leads the Aztec contingent with a 3.61 GPA in marketing. The Glenwood, Md., native started all 18 games for the Scarlet and Black, dishing out a team-high 13 assists during the 2019 campaign to go with seven goals, 17 ground balls and four caused turnovers. Earlier in March, Sheehan matched her career high with three assists in back-to-back home victories over Lehigh and Bucknell.
One of three team captains, Steele garnered MPSF all-academic accolades for the third year in row after posting a 3.53 GPA in environmental engineering. The Coquitlam, British Columbia, product finished her career as SDSU's all-time leader in games played (68) while ranking second in both goals (99) and draw controls (149), as well as fourth in shots (187) and ground balls (96). The two-time all-league honoree also became the Aztecs' single-season leader with 52 goals in 2019, tying her personal best with five in team's 18-15 victory over Fresno State in the MPSF semifinals. For her efforts, Steele capped her collegiate career by collecting conference tournament MVP honors. She was also was named female student-athlete of the year at the SDSU banquet on April 15 for her excellence in athletics, academics, community service and leadership.
Following close behind is Kovinsky, who picked up her first MPSF all-academic certificate after recording a 3.52 GPA in international business. The Baltimore, Md., native played in a career-high 13 games as a reserve this past season, posting five ground balls and three caused turnovers.
Peel also merited academic all-conference distinction for the third straight season courtesy of a 3.13 GPA in marketing. A consistent and valuable performer at midfield over the last four years, the Lenape, N.J., product tallied 45 goals and 15 assists during her career to go with 57 ground balls and 30 draw controls. In the MPSF title game against UC Davis, Peel scored two goals and added an assist, helping the Scarlet and Black to a 15-7 victory.
Meanwhile, Sullivan, Taylor and Hudak each earned MPSF all-academic distinction for the second year in a row.
Taylor, who boasts a 3.22 GPA in integrated marketing communications, ranked sixth on the Aztecs with 20 goals and finished with 26 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. The San Ramon, Calif., native notched four hat tricks on the year, including two in the team's season-opening wins over Oregon and California.
Additionally, Sullivan owns a 3.20 GPA in marketing and landed a spot on the all-MPSF team as well after posting career highs of 35 goals and 31 ground balls, which ranked third and fourth in the conference, respectively. The Annapolis, Md., product set a personal best with seven ground balls at Ohio State, which marked the top performance in the MPSF this year and tied for the No. 1 spot in school history.
Hudak, who hails from Baltimore, Md., maintained a 3.11 GPA in interdisciplinary studies and closed out her Aztec career with an appearance in the MPSF title game. She saw increased playing time over the last two years, posting six goals and nine assists in 20 games during that span.
Rounding out the group was Brown, who earned her first MPSF all-academic honor with a 3.00 GPA in business management. The Katy, Texas, native was second on the team with 51 draw controls, which ranked fifth in the league. She also contributed 13 goals, including two in the MPSF championship game.
San Diego State matched its program record with 11 victories during a highly successful campaign in which the Aztecs merited seven all-MPSF accolades and received 14 conference player of the week awards.
2019 MPSF All-Academic Selections
Bailey Brown (So., Katy, Texas, Business Management)
Paige Hudak (Sr., Baltimore, Md., Interdisciplinary Studies)
Hailey Kovinsky (So., Baltimore, Md., International Business)
Natalie Peel (Sr., Lenape, N.J., Marketing)
Julia Sheehan (So., Glenwood, Md., Marketing)
Harlowe Steele (Sr., Coquitlam, B.C., Canada, Environmental Engineering)
Taylor Sullivan (Jr., Annapolis, Md., Marketing)
Morgan Taylor (Jr. (San Ramon, Calif., Integrated Marketing Communications)