UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's lacrosse second-year freshman Olivia Dirks and sophomore Taylor Suplee were named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List on Thursday. Both were named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List for the first time in their career. The award recognizes the top women's lacrosse player in the nation. Dirks and Suplee have been major contributors to Penn State's 2-0 start.
Dirks has collected a team-best seven goals, 13 draw controls and six caused turnovers. She currently ranks fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten averaging three caused turnovers per game. Dirks sits 19th in the country, and second in the conference, with 6.5 draw controls per game. She's also fourth in the Big Ten in goals per game (3.5) and fifth in points per game (4.0).
The Wayne, Pa. native led Penn State to a 15-13 win over No. 7 Maryland with six points, including five goals, both career high marks. She tallied four goals in the second half, including Penn State's final three goals of the game. She was named IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week and Big Ten Player of the Week.
Suplee has recorded 26 saves this season. She ranks fifth in the nation and leads the Big Ten averaging 13 saves per game. Suplee also ranks 17th in the country and paces the Big Ten with a .520 save percentage. She sits second in the Big Ten with a 12.0 goals-against average. Suplee leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the nation averaging six ground balls per game.
The Maryland native earned IWLCA Defensive Player of the Week honors after making 14 saves in the win over Maryland. She had eight saves in the first half and five saves on free-position shots.
Suplee won Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards after each of the first two games of the season. She also had 12 saves against Rutgers. She has 17 career double-digit save performances.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Missy Doherty, are 2-0 this season with wins over Rutgers (20-11) and No. 7 Maryland (15-13). Penn State is ranked No. 7 in the IWLCA Poll and No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll.
Penn State is set for a two-game battle at No. 3 Northwestern, starting on Thursday, March 11 at 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network+. The second game will be played on Saturday, March 13 at 3 p.m. ET.
Northwestern is off to a 3-0 start, coming off a series sweep against Johns Hopkins on February 26 and 28.
The matchup against Northwestern features two of the top offenses in the country. Penn State ranks fourth in the nation, averaging 17.5 goals per game, while Northwestern leads the nation averaging 19 goals per contest.
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateWomensLacrosse) and Twitter/Instagram (@pennstatewlax).
