Nine Golden Bears Named to 2023 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (July 27, 2023) – The Western New England women's lacrosse team earned nine names on the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association's Academic Honor Roll, their most in program history, as presented by the association on Wednesday afternoon. Western New England University women's lacrosse was also presented with the IWLCA 2023 Academic Honor Squads award. 

WNE's nine honorees were among the 963 student-athletes from 173 different institutions across NCAA Division III. To be eligible for the honor, a student athlete must have attained junior, senior, or graduate student status in the classroom while earning a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or greater on a 4.0 scale.  

Junior Emmy Burns (Billerica, Mass.) picks up her first IWLCA Academic Honor Roll award this season. Burns played in 17 games this season for Western New England, making 14 starts. The junior collected five goals and one assist, good for six points on the season.  Burns scooped 30 ground balls while winning eight draw controls during the year. The midfielder caused a team best 19 turnovers while taking 11 shots, placing seven on goal. 

Junior Ally Ferraro (Hamden, Conn.) put up a career best 46 points on the season for the Golden Bears, scoring 26 goals while adding 20 assists on the year. Ferraro scored three free position goals while collecting nine ground balls and causing six turnovers. The junior took 49 shots, putting 42 on goal. Ferraro earns her first IWLCA Academic Honor Roll nomination. 

Junior goalkeeper Riley Franzo (Canyon Lake, Calif.) stood tall between the pipes this season for the Golden Bears, playing in eight games. Franzo made 16 saves, playing in 153 minutes this season. The junior collects her first IWLCA Academic honor roll distinction. 

Western New England junior goalie Faith Graveline (North Attleboro, Mass.) earns her first remarks to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. Graveline played in and started in 18 games this season for the Golden Bears, making 116 saves between the pipes. Graveline compiled a 12-6 record on the year, playing 780 minutes in goal. 

Graduate Student Hannah Jarvis (Westfield, Mass.) adds to her outstanding resume at Western New England with the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll distinction. Jarvis put up a career best in multiple statistical categories this season, scoring a career best 42 goals, while putting together 62 points, also a career best. Jarvis also collected career bests in draw controls (46), shots (103), shots on goal (77), and shots on goal percentage (74.8%). The Westfield, Massachusetts native finishes her career with WNE by playing in 64 games, making 61 starts, scoring 123 goals and picking up 69 assists, good for 192 career points. 

Senior goalkeeper Emily Lake (Naples, Maine) earns her second IWLCA Academic Honor Roll selection. Lake played in ten games this season for Western New England, making one start on senior day against Gordon College, picking up the win in a full 60-minute effort. On the season, Lake made 15 saves, going 1-0, playing in a career high 205 minutes for WNE. 

Graduate Student Liz Mazza (East Longmeadow, Mass.) picks up her third IWLCA honor after earning the award the previous two seasons. Mazza played in one game this season, scoring a goal on a free position shot. The East Longmeadow, Massachusetts native put up a career best 51 points in 2022. Mazza finishes her career at WNE with 119 career points, scoring 87 goals. 

Julia Roman (Oswego, N.Y.) played in 17 games for the Golden Bears this season, anchoring the back line of defense for the blue and gold. Roman scooped ten ground balls on the season while causing eight turnover. The junior earns her first honor from the IWLCA. 

Samantha Vitka (Stratford, Conn.) wraps up a remarkable career with the Golden Bears, playing five seasons with the blue and gold. Vitka played in 67 games for the Golden Bears during her career, making 52 starts. Vitka scored a career high 42 goals in 2023 while also grabbing career highs in assists (27), points (69), free position goals (10), ground balls (29), and draw controls (143) which sits fourth in the WNE women's lacrosse single season record books. The Stratford, Connecticut native finishes her career with 119 goals and 69 assists, good for 188 total points. 

The Western New England women's lacrosse team also earned the IWLCA Academic Honor Squads award, which is presented to teams across all NCAA Divisions and the NAIA who have posted a 3.2 or higher GPA for the academic year. Western New England was one of 288 schools who accomplished this feat.