Four Sharks Named to Lacrosse GNAC All-Conference Team

Four Simmons Lacrosse players received end of the season All-Conference honors from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Freshman attacker Rachel Wallace (Braintree, Mass.) earned a spot on the First Team, while teammates, junior attacker Natalie Stever (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), freshman midfielder Justine Beauchamp (Exeter, N.H.) and junior defender Kayla Tirrell (Lincoln, R.I.) all were voted to the Second Team.

Four Simmons Lacrosse players received end of the season All-Conference honors from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. Freshman attacker Rachel Wallace (Braintree, Mass.) earned a spot on the First Team, while teammates, junior attacker Natalie Stever (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), freshman midfielder Justine Beauchamp (Exeter, N.H.) and junior defender Kayla Tirrell (Lincoln, R.I.) all were voted to the Second Team.

Wallace scored 20 goals and four assists against conference opponents in 2010 (27 goals overall), accumulating 24 points on the season and earning Rookie of the Week Honors in the final week of regular season play. "Rachel is a quiet, confident player who works hard- plain and simple. She moved around a bit in the line-up this season, and adapted well and did her job wherever it was," said Head Coach Kate Leonard.  "As coaches, we were confident she would make smart plays and take care of the ball under pressure. The other conference coaches recognized her strong play with this honor."

Beauchamp scored 15 goals in the GNAC this season (28 overall), assisting nine and also tallying 24 points. "As one of only six midfielders in the conference to be recognized, Justine proved that she is an incredible athlete," said Leonard. "She was our top goal scorer, even though we often relied on her to be our strongest defender. She improved immensely in her draw control and became one of the conference leaders in that category because of her hard work."

Tirrell had one goal and one assist on the season, with most of her contributions coming from her role as a defender for the Sharks. "Kayla plays under the radar, getting the job done in a simple, direct way," said Leonard. "She is a quick athlete who can keep up with any attacker, and is a smart defender whom any of the younger athletes can go to for advice."