BOSTON – Four members of the UMass Lowell women's lacrosse team have been named to America East All-Conference teams following the end of the 2023 season, as announced by the league office on Thursday morning.

Earning her first conference honors, senior Julia Napolitano (Oakdale, N.Y.) became only the fourth River Hawk ever to be named to the America East All-Conference Second Team. Freshmen Audra Hansen (Stamford, Conn.) and Hannah Shaddock (Corning, N.Y.) both were tabbed to the All-Rookie team, while senior Grace Hansen (Stamford, Conn.) rounded out the award winners with a selection to the All-Academic Team.

"All four are hard working, competitive, and committed," said head coach Lisa Miller. "Julia had a breakout year and really blossomed in the clearing game, on the draw circle, and as a takeaway defender. Grace has been an exceptional student-athlete over the past four years and I look forward to watching her succeed in her future academic pursuits and in life. Audra and Hannah were thrown into the deep end this year and performed admirably. Audra is a true two way midfielder who has enormous potential on both sides of the ball. Hannah was unflappable in a conference that possesses many older and talented attackers and shooters."

One of only five River Hawks to start in every game, Napolitano proved to be one of the top defenders in the conference. Pacing the squad in ground balls (45), caused turnovers (26), and draw controls (49), the senior left her mark all over the field. Her 26 caused turnovers also set a new program single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of 25 set by Courtney Barrett during the 2015 and 2018 seasons.

Audra Hansen and Shaddock made an immediate impact in their first seasons at UMass Lowell. Hansen, who appeared in all 16 games, making 14 starts, finished sixth on the team with 21 points (18g, 3a). Against Stonehill, the rookie tallied her first goal and hat trick, finishing the game with three goals and an assist. Later in the year, she tallied a personal best four goals against New Hampshire. In net, Shaddock served as the starting goaltender in all 16 games, picking up four wins in her first five games. Totaling 135 saves on the season, the freshman finished with double-digit saves in six games, including a career-high 15 against Vermont.

With a 3.99 GPA as a biology major, Grace Hansen earned a spot on the All-Academic Team for the second consecutive season. On the field, the senior finished fourth on the team with a personal-best 22 goals. Outside of her success in the classroom, Hansen has also been involved in research on campus and has an article published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.