James Madison University lacrosse received one major award and saw eight players named to the All-American Conference Teams, according to an April 29 announcement from the league.
The recognition highlights a strong season for James Madison, with Olivia Rongo earning Defensive Player of the Year and a spot on the All-Conference first team. She was joined by sophomores Olivia Matthews, Payton Root, Harlowe Healey, and Reese Cuviello on the first team. Ava Bleckley, Chloe Bleckley, and Josie Pell were named to the second team.
Ava Bleckley earned her third career All-Conference selection. Chloe Bleckley, Reese Cuviello, Olivia Matthews, and Payton Root each received their second selections. For Olivia Rongo, Josie Pell, and Harlowe Healey it was their first time being recognized at this level.
Rongo had a record-setting season by breaking James Madison’s single-season mark for caused turnovers. She ranked in the top five nationally in both caused turnovers per game and ground balls per game. The senior started all 17 games for James Madison this year with 53 caused turnovers and 50 ground balls. Rongo recorded three or more caused turnovers in eleven games and received offensive player of the week honors three times.
Matthews started all sixteen games she played in this season with 35 goals and eleven assists while also collecting fifteen ground balls and thirty-one draw controls. During conference play she averaged over three goals per game—second best in the league—and tied for most hat tricks on her team with six.
Root made six starts over seventeen games played while leading both her team and conference with twenty-eight goals and forty-seven assists for seventy-five total points. Her average of nearly three assists per game placed her atop conference rankings as well as eleventh nationally.
Healey became only the fifth player in program history to record more than one hundred draw controls during a single season; she finished with one hundred forty-two draws at an average of more than eight per contest—leading all players in conference competition.
Cuviello forced thirty-three turnovers along with forty-six ground balls this year—the third highest totals within American Conference play—and contributed twenty-eight draw controls herself.
On second-team selections: Ava Bleckley had twenty-nine caused turnovers (fifth most among peers) through fifteen starts; Chloe Bleckley scored thirteen goals alongside five assists plus thirteen ground balls; Josie Pell scored seven times with two assists while starting every match for James Madison this season.
James Madison will begin postseason play Thursday against No. 3 ECU during semifinals at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. The match is scheduled for an evening start time on ESPN+.
