Atlantic Sun Release

KENNESAW, Ga. (5/4/2016) -- Freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Wandelt (Sayville, N.Y.) was named the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and five University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse student-athletes earned All-Conference accolades as the league office announced the postseason honors at Tuesday's awards banquet.

Three Titans earned All-Atlantic Sun distinction as Wandelt was named First Team All-Conference and senior co-captains Kylie Birney (Plymouth, Mich. / Ladywood) and Ally Shrader (Novi, Mich. / Mercy) were voted Second Team All-Atlantic Sun. The teams are voted on by the league's head coaches. It's the fourth-straight year that the Titans have put three or more players on the All-Conference Teams.

Wandelt is the first Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year in Titan history. She led the Titans in several statistical categories during the regular season, including setting a new school record in draw controls. Wandelt became the sixth Titan to reach 50 goals in a season and has 54 markers in 17 starts this season, just three shy of the Detroit freshman record.

Wandelt led the Atlantic Sun in draw controls (66), free-position goals (17) and tied for first in caused turnovers (28). In eight conference games, Wandelt had league-highs with 33 goals, 13 free-position goals and 15 caused turnovers, and tied for the league-lead with 36 draw controls. She posted 10 hat tricks during the season and scored four or more goals nine times.

Birney earns All-Atlantic Sun honors for the third-straight season. She was First Team All-Atlantic Sun as a sophomore and junior and also was named to the All-Freshman Team in her first season. Birney, a two-time Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year, started all 17 games during the regular season and finished fourth on the squad with 24 goals and 13 caused turnovers. She was also fifth on the team with 28 ground balls and fourth in the league in free-position goals with 10. The midfielder also tallied 15 draw controls and became the fourth player in Titan history to score 100 goals earlier this year.

Shrader receives her first All-Atlantic Sun recognition after helping spearhead a defense that was fourth in the conference allowing 10.65 goals per game. She set a new career-high with 36 ground balls during the regular season and made 16 starts for Detroit as a defender. She was third on the team in caused turnovers (15) and also collected 11 draw controls. Shrader ranked fourth among field players and 10th overall in the Atlantic Sun in ground balls and 18th in the league in caused turnovers during her senior campaign.

Three Titans were named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team as Wandelt, midfielder Morgan Girardi (Watertown, N.Y.) and attack Lexie Kinmond (Peterborough, Ont. / Holy Cross Catholic) were all voted onto the squad. Wandelt and Kinmond were unanimous selections by the league's head coaches.

Kinmond tied for fourth in the Atlantic Sun with 22 assists and 57 points. Her 35 goals were tied for sixth in the league. She was fifth in conference-only games with 33 points on 17 goals and 16 assists and her 13 free-position goals was second in the conference. She ranked fourth on the Titans with 20 draw controls and added 12 ground balls and eight caused turnovers. Kinmond's 82.9 shot-on-goal percentage also led the Titans as she put 58 of her 70 shots on goal. Kinmond's 22 assists are second in single-season school history, and she recorded at least one point in every game during the regular season, netting a goal in all but one contest.

Girardi started all 17 games and ranked third on the Titans with 29 goals and 35 points. She tied-for-fifth in the Atlantic Sun with her nine free-position goals. Girardi was fifth on the squad in draw controls (18), tied-for-sixth in caused turnovers (10) and seventh in ground balls (20). She tallied nine multiple-goal games in 2016 and scored in all but three games for the Titans during the regular season. Her 29 goals were also tied for 12th in the Atlantic Sun.

The Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team was also announced at the team banquet. Birney was voted the Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season, while junior Julie Castner earned her way onto the All-Academic Team for the first time in her Titan career.

Detroit, the No. 4 seed, opens the 2016 Atlantic Sun Championship against fifth-seeded Mercer at 1 p.m., on Thursday from Fifth Third Bank Stadium on Kennesaw State University's campus. The Titans have back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history and are making their fourth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament.