UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's lacrosse midfielders Olivia Dirks and Kristin O'Neill received major recognition from the Big Ten on Monday. Dirks was named Midfielder of the Year, while O'Neill was named Freshman of the Year. Both were major contributors for the Nittany Lions all season, making big plays on both ends of the field.
"Having Olivia and Kristin win such prestigious Big Ten Awards is an exciting statement for the future in our program," said Head Coach Missy Doherty. "We had a lot of young contributors this year and I'm excited for the future in Happy Valley!"
Dirks is Penn State's second Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honoree, joining Katie O'Donnell in 2018.
An All-Big Ten First Team selection, Dirks recorded 31 goals, 12 assists, 25 ground balls, 78 draw controls and 18 caused turnovers in 2021. She led the Nittany Lions in draws and caused turnovers, while finishing second in points and goals.
"Olivia was a workhorse in the midfield all year for us," said Doherty. "She was a game-changer in every contest and competes just as hard in practice as she does in games. I'm so happy for her to receive such a tremendous award as a sophomore."
Dirks was an Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America Third Team selection and is a member of the Tewaaraton Award nominees list. She was a two-time Big Ten Midfielder of the Week (3/16, 4/20) and was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on February 23. She won IWLCA Offensive Player of the Week on February 23 for her performance in leading Penn State to a win over No. 7 Maryland.
Dirks had 10 multi-point performances this season. She had a career-high nine points at Rutgers (4/15) with five goals and four assists, both career bests. She also tallied six points, with five goals and an assist, against Maryland (2/21) and six points, with four goals and two assists, against Michigan (3/21).
The sophomore made a major impact in the draw circle this season, including four games with 10 or more draws. She had a career-best 14 at Northwestern on March 13. Dirks also had 12 against Rutgers (2/14) and 10 each against Northwestern (3/11) and Rutgers (4/15). She also had five games with multiple caused turnovers, including four against Maryland (2/21) and three against Michigan (3/21).
Dirks leads the Big Ten and ranks 22nd in the nation averaging 6.0 draw controls per game. She's also fifth in the Big Ten in caused turnovers per game (1.38), 10th in goals per game (2.38) and ninth in free-position goals per game (0.62).
O'Neill is Penn State's second Big Ten Freshman of the Year winner, joining Madison Carter in 2016.
A Second-Team All-Big Ten selection, O'Neill collected 29 goals, eight assists, 18 ground balls, six draw controls and 15 caused turnovers this season. She was a five-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, winning five of the nine weeks it was awarded.
"Kristin came in and made an immediate impact as a freshman," said Doherty. "She is a relentless competitor who loves to compete and we are so excited for her future in Happy Valley."
O'Neill had multiple points in 10 of Penn State's 13 games, including nine multi-goal efforts. She recorded six points in each game against Rutgers (2/14), with four goals and two assists, and Maryland (4/11), with five goals and an assist. She tallied four points in each contest against Maryland (2/21), Michigan (3/19) and Johns Hopkins (4/18).
On the defensive end, O'Neill had three caused turnovers in each game against Rutgers (2/14), Ohio State (3/26) and Rutgers (4/15). She won three draws in the opener against the Scarlet Knights.
Kristin O'Neill ranks 31st in the nation, and second in the Big Ten, with a .615 free-position percentage. She's also ninth in the Big Ten in free-position goals per game (0.62) and seventh in caused turnovers per game (1.15).
Among Division I freshmen, O'Neill ranks 10th in total goals (29) and eighth in goals per game (2.23). She's also seventh in points per game (2.8) and 13th in total points (37).
The Nittany Lions are 4-9 this season with wins over Rutgers (20-11), No. 7 Maryland (15-13), No. 13 Michigan (13-12) and No. 9 Maryland (16-9).
Joining Dirks and O'Neill as All-Big Ten selections were attacker Maria Auth and defender Sammy Helgeson on Second Team.
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