STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford saw seven Cardinal honored with All-MPSF accolades, including a Rookie of the Year award for Anna Salemo as announced by the conference this week.
Salemo, a redshirt junior, returned to lacrosse this season after a three year break and has proven to add an immediate impact and huge presence to the Cardinal attack. She currently ranks ninth through the regular season in goals per game (1.94), and 10th in points per game (2.60), both MPSF-highs amongst first-year players.
She owns 31 goals and eight assists for 39 points. She leads Stanford and shares an MPSF-best of four game-winning goals, and is second on the Cardinal in goals and points to help lead the team to a national top-10 ranking and No. 2 seed in the MPSF Tournament.
Salemo has three different four-goal outings this year, including a game-high six points (4G, 2A) in a win over No. 16 Ohio State (Feb. 21). She was named MPSF Offensive Player of the Week following that effort, and would later be named rookie of the week (Mar. 21). Salemo is Stanford’s third MPSF Rookie/Newcomer of the Year recipient (Anna Kim, 2011; Karen Nesbitt, 2008).
Stanford first-team selections are senior defender, Adrienne Anderson, senior defender Meg Lentz, sophomore midfielder Kelly Myers and redshirt sophomore attacker Kelsey Murray.
Anderson is Stanford’s primary man-to-man marker against opponents' top offensive threats. She held huge threats from Colorado (Fusco and Behrins), Oregon (Pyne), Harvard (Romeo) and Penn State (Lazo) scoreless in Stanford’s wins over all four.
Lentz, a fast and athletic team captain, leads the team in ground balls and caused turnovers while holding Julia Glynn of Harvard scoreless. Lentz has proved to be integral on the draw control as well, winning nine in Stanford’s win over San Diego State.
Kelly Myers, the team’s primary draw taker, which the Cardinal has led the NCAA in throughout the season. She leads Stanford in both draw controls with 43 and third in goals and caused turnovers.
Kelsey Murray, the lynchpin of the Cardinal’s offense, leads Stanford in goals, assists and points as well as ranks second in the MPSF in goals per game and fourth in assists per game. Murray has collected at least a point in every single game this season and scored five goals on three separate occasions.
This is the third All-MPSF honor for Anderson and Lentz and first for Myers and Murray.
The Cardinal also saw three more selected to the All-MPSF second team with Anna Salemo, Allie DaCar and Dillon Schoen all being named. The honor is the second for DaCar and first for Salemo and Schoen.
The Cardinal returns to action Friday as it sets to host the MPSF Championship semifinals. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.