Carroll County girls standouts earn USA Lacrosse honors
A USA Lacrosse All-American is a player who exhibits superior skills and techniques and possesses exceptional game sense and knowledge. A USA Lacrosse All-Academic honoree is a player who exhibits exemplary lacrosse skills, good sportsmanship on the field, and represents high standards of academic achievement in the classroom.
USA Lacrosse unveiled its 2022 girls players and coaches honored through its high school recognition program. The recognition program includes Coach of the Year awards and for players, All-America, All-Academic, and the Jackie Pitts Award.
A USA Lacrosse All-American is a player who exhibits superior skills and techniques and possesses exceptional game sense and knowledge, according to a July 14 story on the organization's website.
A USA Lacrosse All-Academic honoree is a player who exhibits exemplary lacrosse skills, good sportsmanship on the field, and represents high standards of academic achievement in the classroom.
The Jackie Pitts Award recognizes one player from each area who goes "above and beyond" in service to her team, school, and community, according to the July 14 article.
USA Lacrosse oversees the selection of the awards, which are administered locally by Area Chairs. Selections are based on voting by coaches within each geographical area.
Carroll County is represented on this list of players and coaches. Let's take a look at the local standouts.
All-Americans
Maryland Western
Caroline Little, Century: The senior midfielder finished the spring with 89 points on 55 goals and 34 assists. She earned CMSportsNet Player of the Year honors, and at the end of the year we picked her as our Athlete of the Year for 2021-22.
Here's our interview with Caroline following the girls lacrosse season.
Lauren Hackett, Century: The senior attacker led Carroll County in scoring with 101 points (58 goals, 43 assists) and helped the Knights to a 19-0 record and the Class 2A state championship.
Shannon McTavish, South Carroll: The junior midfielder paced the Cavaliers with 55 points (32 goals, 23 assists). McTavish helped SC play in the Class 1A West Region 1 title game against Liberty.
Val Thompson, Liberty: The senior midfielder netted 74 goals -- second most in the county -- and helped the Lions win their second consecutive Class 1A state title.
Academic All-Americans
Maryland Western
Lauren Baldwin, Manchester Valley: The senior goalie posted 65 saves and crafted a .445 save percentage this spring, and she helped the Mavericks go 13-2 (5-1 in the Carroll County Athletic League).
Caroline Little, Century
Coach of the Year
Maryland Western
Becky Groves, Century: Groves led the Knights to their first state championship since 2017, and the ninth in program history. Century went 19-0 and took down some formidable foes along the way -- the Knights defeated 4A state champ Broadneck, 1A champ Liberty (twice), and nationally ranked Glenelg (unbeaten at the time) in the regional final.