Walker Tabbed National Coach of the Year

Walker Tabbed National Coach of the Year

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College lacrosse head coach Acacia Walker was voted the Division I Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) National Coach of the Year by her peers, the association announced on Wednesday afternoon. Walker, as well as the Division II and III coaches of the year, will be recognized on Nov. 15, during the IWLCA's Annual Meetings in Florida.
 
Walker – who was also the Northeast Region Coach of the Year – led the Eagles to the best-ever season in program history in 2017.
 
Boston College advanced to its first national championship game and championship weekend appearance, before falling to top-ranked and undefeated Maryland, 16-13, in the final.
 
BC finished the year ranked No. 2 in the final IWLCA poll while posting a final 17-7 record, which was also its best-ever record.
 
To open the NCAA Championship, Walker's Eagles posted three straight 20-goal games in wins over Canisius (21-9), at No. 9 Syracuse (210-10) and over No. 7 USC (20-14), with BC's 20 goals marking the most goals ever scored against the Trojans in their program's history. The win at Syracuse was the Eagles' first postseason victory over the Orange, and just the team's second on the road in Syracuse. In total, Boston College scored 91 goals in the NCAA Tournament, setting a new championship record.
 
Over the season, Eagles set program records for goals scored (373) and draw controls (369) as a pair of players earned All-America honors. Sophomore attack Sam Apuzzo led the nation with 80 goals and her 119 points were not only second in the country, but also set the program's single-season record. Sophomore defender Elizabeth Miller was a second-team All-American after anchoring the Eagles' defensive corps all season.
 
Additionally, Apuzzo and Miller were two of the Eagles' record five IWLCA All-Northeast Region performers, joining senior attack Kate Weeks (106 points), junior attack Kenzie Kent (77 points in 12 games) and sophomore midfielder Dempsey Arsenault.
 
Kent had a break-out season on the field in the half-season she played lacrosse after joining the team following the conclusion of the women's hockey season. She had a standout postseason where she not only earned ACC All-Tournament Team honors and NCAA All-Tournament Team honors, but with a record 37 points in the Eagles' five NCAA Tournament games, she shattered the previous record of 26 en route to Most Valuable Player honors at Championship Weekend to become the first-ever player to win the award as a member of the losing team. At the end of the academic year, Kent was voted the 27th winner of the Mary Garber Award as the Atlantic Coach Conference's 2016-17 Female Athlete of the Year.
 
In 2017, Walker set the program record for victories and will enter the 2018 season with a 69-34 career record and a .670 winning percentage in five seasons.
 
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