Syracuse, NY — The State University of New York Athletic Conference released its weekly award winners Monday with the Hawks sweeping the women's lacrosse awards, as Kaitlyn Shaw was named Offensive and Morgan Atwater Defensive Players of the Week.
 
Shaw and Atwater become the first pair to sweep the weekly conference honor for SUNY New Paltz since Shaw and Ella Malanga earned the same honors April 10 of last season with Shaw and Shannon Brosnan sweeping last season on March 13 as well.
 
Shaw was the offensive catalyst in two wins on the week for the Hawks. She was critical in a hard fought 9-7 victory over Hartwick Wednesday, totaling three goals and an assist off eight shots. Shaw also provided a pivotal goal in the fourth quarter to give her team a two-goal cushion as the shot clock winded down, lasering a shot from distance that found the top corner to help keep Hartwick at bay. Shaw added a ground ball and two draw controls in the victory as well. In a 21-2 road win over Mount Saint Mary's College Saturday, Shaw scored a team-leading six goals off 13 shots, all on target, while adding four ground balls, three draw controls and a caused turnover. The senior also became the first player in program history to record six or more, six-plus goal games with the performance.
 
Atwater has gotten off to a hot start to her sophomore campaign, impacting every facet of the game for the Hawks. She led a defensive unit that allowed just nine goals total through two games this past week, both wins, while keeping its opposition to just 17.5 shots against.
 
Atwater led the team in ground balls in both games, totaling four in a 9-7 win over Hartwick, while adding a team-leading two caused turnovers with five draw controls to go along with five points on four goals and an assist. The Brighton, NY native then etched her name in the program record books Saturday, setting a new record in ground balls after picking up 10 in a 21-2 rout of the Knights. Atwater also added a team-leading three caused turnovers with three draw controls, four goals and one assist. Atwater finished the week totaling a team-leading 14 ground balls, five caused turnovers, eight draw controls, eight goals and two assists.
 
To read the official SUNYAC press release, click here.


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