EDISON, N.J. - The Fairfield University women's lacrosse team, which opens its quest for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship Friday afternoon, had six student-athletes named to the All-MAAC teams. The announcement took place at the tournament awards banquet in Buffalo, N.Y. The Stags also had 14 student-athletes named to the MAAC All-Academic Team.
One senior and one junior headlined the Stag award winners with Meghan Reda and Chelsey Sidaras earning All-MAAC First Team honors. Junior Melissa Laible and sophomores Alex Fehmel and Riley Hellstein earned All-MAAC Second Team accolades while Brenna Connolly was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
Reda earns her second consecutive All-MAAC First Team honor after an impressive final campaign. She's started in all 16 contests and has anchored the Stags' defensive this season. Reda has picked up a team-high 39 ground balls, recorded 20 draw controls, and caused a team-high 24 turnovers for Fairfield. Entering the week, she is tied for 38th in the nation for ground balls per game (2.44) and is tied for 40th in caused turnovers per game (4.50).
Sidaras earns her second consecutive All-MAAC First Team honor after manning the net for the Stags in 15 of 16 games this season. Entering the week, she is the national leader in save percentage (.537) and is ranked fifth in goals-against average (6.59). She has also been a fixture in the defensive unit, picking up a second-highest 29 ground balls and causing seven turnovers. Sidaras has faced 254 shots this season, recording 108 saves, in 846:52 of action. She currently holds Fairfield's single-season record for goals-against average with 6.59. In Fairfield's career charts, Sidaras also ranks third in wins (24), ties for fourth in games played (42), and ranks fifth in minutes played (2,085:26) and games started (33).
Laible earns her first All-MAAC honor after being an essential part of the Fairfield defensive unit. She's appeared in 15 out of 16 games of her junior campaign, with 15 starts. She's picked up eight ground balls and caused six turnovers.
Fehmel earns her first All-MAAC Second Team honor after her stellar performance in the Stags midfield. She's started in all 16 games of her sophomore campaign. Fehmel is the Stags' leading scorer, recording 27 goals, with a team-high 12 assists, to lead the team with 39 points. This year, she has three game-winning goals to her credit, sealing victories over Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut State, and conference foe Niagara. Fehmel has recorded nine multi-goal games, including a career-high five goals against Iona. She has also picked up 24 ground balls, grabbed 11 draw controls, and caused 17 turnovers.
Hellstein earns her first All-MAAC Second Team honor after being an essential part of the Fairfield midfield. She's appeared in 11 out of 16 games of her sophomore campaign, with 11 starts. Hellstein is the team's fourth leading scorer with 16 goals, including two essential game-winners against conference foes Siena and Monmouth. Hellstein has also dished six assists to total 22 points. She is 5 of 10 on free position attempts, converting half of her shots into goals, and she has grabbed a team-high 31 draw controls. She has recorded five multi-goal games this year, including personal season-high four goals against conference opponent Iona.
Connolly earns her first All-MAAC honor after stepping up at attack during her rookie campaign. She's played in 10 games for Fairfield, with one start. Connolly has recorded three goals, with five assists, for eight points. She is the leading scorer among the freshmen on the roster. Connolly has taken 10 shots, with eight on goal, and has earned a shots on goal percentage of .800. Connolly has also picked up three ground balls, grabbed one draw control, caused one turnover for Fairfield.
Fourteen Stags were recognized for their academic accomplishments, making the MAAC All-Academic Team. Fairfield's 14 tied for the second-highest numbers of selections, only falling one short of Marist's 15 honorees. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
Sophomores Kaitlyn Arnold, Riley Hellstein, Scarlett Sulliman, and Brenna Weill, junior Laible, and senior Lauren Casadonte each earned the honor for the first time. Juniors Jenna Fuchs, Shelby Iapoce, Maeve Quinn, Colleen Reynolds, and Sidaras earned their second-straight accolade. Seniors Kayla Arnold, Courtney Chmil, and Reda earned the honor for the third consecutive year.
Fairfield finished the regular season owning a 12-4 overall record with a 7-1 mark in conference play. The second-seeded Stags will take on the third-seeded Monmouth Hawks on Friday, May 1 at 4:30 p.m. Fans can watch the tournament live on MAAC.tv or follow along on Live Stats.
