ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State women's lacrosse had five student-athletes named All-Big Ten, the conference announced Wednesday.
Ellie Hollin and Kristin O'Neill were placed on the first team, while Kayla Abernathy, Sammy Dupcak and Gretchen Gilmore earned second team honors.
In addition to the All-Conference awards, Haley Urgo was announced as the team's Sportsmanship Honoree.
Penn State finished the regular season with a 9-6 overall record and a 4-2 record in conference. The team had a historic season that propelled them to clinching the No. 2 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, their highest seeding since 2017.
The Nittany Lions defeated No. 1 Northwestern, earning their first win against a top-ranked opponent since 2005. Before beating the No. 1 team in the country, Penn State upset then-No. 22 Rutgers in overtime. To cap off their season, women's lacrosse got the victory against then-No. 11 Johns Hopkins.
O'Neill is just one of five unanimously voted to first team All-Big Ten. This is her third consecutive season earning first team honors after being named Big Ten Freshman of the year and named to the second team her freshman year. O'Neill ranks No. 2 in the nation in free position goals per game with 1.47. The senior has 47 goals this season, 22 of those are from the eight meter. Three of her goals are game winners, one of which was against Northwestern.
Hollin has been dominant on defense for the Nittany Lions all season to earn her second consecutive first team honor. The junior has started all 15 games this season after being tabbed a Big Ten Player to Watch prior to the start of the season. Hollin scooped up 17 ground balls and caused 17 turnovers.
Abernathy earns her second straight second team honor after starting all 15 games this season. The senior has been stellar on the draw all season with 47 to lead the Nittany Lions. Abernathy also registered 18 goals and scooped up 14 ground balls.
Dupcak picks up her third consecutive second team honor after being named a Big Ten Player to Watch at the beginning of the season. The senior scooped up 15 groundballs and caused 12 turnovers.
Gilmore had a stellar comeback campaign after having a season ending injury last season. This is the senior's second conference second team honor of her career. Gilmore most recently registered her 100th career point in the last game of the regular season and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career. Gilmore has 28 goals this season.
Graduate student co-captain Urgo earns the Sportsmanship Award. She has played in 13 games, scooped up 15 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers. The Big Ten describes the Sportsmanship Team as individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior.
No. 16 Penn State women's lacrosse will host the Big Ten quarterfinals against Ohio State Saturday, April 27 at noon.
