UF LAX | Six Gators Earn IWLCA All-Region Honors

Danielle Pavinelli, Emily Heller and Emma LoPinto grab spots on First Team; Catherine Flaherty, Sarah Reznick and Emma Wightman tabbed as Second Team honorees

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Six members of the Florida lacrosse team added to their postseason resumes as the IWLCA All-Region teams were announced Thursday. Those six will now be eligible to be named to a national IWLCA All-American Team.

Florida’s All-South Region First Team selections consisted of Emily Heller, Emma LoPinto and Danielle Pavinelli. LoPinto was the lone freshman named to the First Team, while Pavinelli was one of two sophomores who earned First Team accolades.

Catherine Flaherty, Sarah Reznick and Emma Wightman were each named to the All-South Region Second Team.

This was the second IWLCA All-Region honor for goalkeeper Reznick, while Flaherty, Heller, LoPinto, Pavinelli and Wightman each earned the first IWLCA All-Region selection of their careers.

The Gators finished the 2022 regular season with a 13-4 record, going undefeated in American Athletic Conference play (5-0). The team swept both the regular season championship (11th-straight) and tournament championship (eighth-straight) and now sit 15-4 heading into the NCAA Tournament. UF is set to kick off its postseason run on Thursday, hosting the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators take on the Mercer Bears on Friday at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.

Florida’s six All-South nominees will now await IWLCA All-American selections on May 26.

A Look at UF’s All-Region Athletes
Emily Heller | Jr. | Midfielder

  *   2022 All-AAC First Team
  *   2022 All-AAC Tournament Team
  *   Ranks eighth in the AAC in draw controls per game (3.37)
  *   One-time AAC Honor Roll selection in 2022
  *   Sits second on the team in draw controls (64) and fourth in goals (29)
  *   Recorded a career-high four goals and five points against Vanderbilt in the AAC Championship game on May 7
  *   Tallied a career-high two assists Temple on April 23, to pair with her career-best seven draw controls in the game
Emma LoPinto | Fr. | Attacker

  *   2022 IWLCA All-Region First Team
  *   2022 AAC Freshman of the Year
  *   2022 All-AAC First Team
  *   2022 All-AAC Tournament Team
  *   2022 Tewaaraton Watch List
  *   10-time AAC Freshman of the Week (program record & conference record)
  *   Broke Florida’s freshman points record on May 5 vs. ECU – the previous record stood at 79 and has held since the first season of Florida lacrosse (Ashley Bruns – 2010)
  *   Sits just 12 points away from becoming Florida’s first freshman to score 100 career points
  *   Leads the AAC in both total points (88) and points per game (4.63), is fourth in assists per game (1.63) and fifth in goals per game (3.00)
  *   Ranks 10th in the nation with a .570 shooting percentage
Danielle Pavinelli | So. | Attacker

  *   2022 IWLCA All-Region First Team
  *   2022 AAC Attacker of the Year
  *   2022 All-AAC First Team
  *   2022 AAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player
  *   2022 All-AAC Tournament Team
  *   2022 Tewaaraton Top-25 Nominee
  *   Five-time AAC Attacker of the Week in 2022
  *   Five-time AAC Honor Roll selection in 2022
  *   Sits third in the conference in points per game (4.58) and goals per game (3.32), is fifth in shots per game (6.47) and seventh in assists per game (1.26)
  *   Became Florida’s 19th 100-point scorer earlier this season
Catherine Flaherty | Jr. | Defender

  *   2022 All-AAC First Team
  *   One-time AAC Honor Roll selection
  *   Marked the top attacker of each opponent the Gators have faced this season
  *   Has recorded 17 groundballs and six caused turnovers throughout the year thus far
  *   Recorded a career-high two groundballs in three different games during the 2022 campaign
  *   Posted a career-best two caused turnovers against ECU in the AAC Tournament semifinal on May 5
Sarah Reznick | R-So. | Goalkeeper

  *   2022 IWLCA All-Region Second Team
  *   2022 AAC Goalkeeper of the Year
  *   2022 All-AAC First Team
  *   2022 All-AAC Tournament Team
  *   2022 Tewaaraton Watch List
  *   2022 IWLCA Defensive Player of the Week (3/22)
  *   Three-time AAC Defender of the Week in 2022
  *   One AAC Honor Roll Selection in 2022
  *   Has recorded a save in 48-straight games, the second-longest streak in program history
  *   Ranks first in the conference in both save percentage (.498) and goals against average (8.80) and is third in saves per game (7.47)
  *   In the nation, Reznick sits seventh in goals against average and 10th in save percentage
  *   Among active Division I players, she ranks third with a career 8.18 GAA
Emma Wightman | Sr. | Defender

  *   2022 AAC Defender of the Year
  *   2022 All-AAC First Team
  *   Two-time AAC Defender of the Week in 2022
  *   Sits 26th in the nation with 1.63 caused turnovers per game
  *   During the season, had a streak of seven-straight games with a caused turnover, putting her fifth in program history
  *   Recorded a career-high six caused turnovers against Mercer on March 30
  *   Ranks fourth in the AAC in caused turnovers per game
South Region
First Team
Catriona Barry

Duke

Gr.

Attack

Cubby Biscardi

Duke

Jr.

Defender

Olivia Carner

Duke

Jr.

Midfield

Mairead Durkin

James Madison

Jr.

Defender

Scottie Rose Growney

North Carolina

Sr.

Attack

Emily Heller

Florida

Jr.

Midfield

Maddie Jenner

Duke

Sr.

Draw Specialist

Emma LoPinto

Florida

Fr.

Attack

Ally Mastroianni

North Carolina

Gr.

Midfield

Ashlyn McGovern

Virginia

Sr.

Attack

Taylor Moreno

North Carolina

Gr.

Goalkeeper

Emily Nalls

North Carolina

Jr.

Defender

Jamie Ortega

North Carolina

Sr.

Attack

Danielle Pavinelli

Florida

So.

Attack

Isabella Peterson

James Madison

So.

Attack

Emma Trenchard

North Carolina

Sr.

Defender

Second Team
Molly Brock

Jacksonville

Sr.

Midfield

Rachel Clark

Virginia

Fr.

Attack

Katie DeSimone

Duke

So.

Attack

Molly Dougherty

James Madison

Sr.

Goalkeeper

Sarah Elms

Jacksonville

Gr.

Attack

Catherine Flaherty

Florida

Jr.

Defense

Siena Gore

Kennesaw State

Gr.

Attack

Mackenzie Hoeg

Virginia

So.

Midfield

Abby Landry

Duke

Gr.

Midfield

Sarah Reznick

Florida

So.

Goalkeeper

Olivia Vergano

Virginia Tech

Fr.

Midfield

Brooklyn Walker-Welch

North Carolina

Fr.

Defense

Emma Wightman

Florida

Sr.

Defense

Aubrey Williams

Virginia

So.

Draw Specialist

Brittney Wright

Richmond

Gr.

Defense

Caitlyn Wurzburger

North Carolina

So.

Attack

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