GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Boston College and Syracuse swept the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Season Awards, which were announced Wednesday following a vote of the league’s 10 head coaches.
BC earned four of the six awards: Belle Smith (Midfielder of the Year), Sydney Scales (Defender of the Year), Shea Dolce (Freshman of the Year) and Acacia Walker-Weinstein (Coach of the Year). Syracuse notched two honors: Meaghan Tyrrell (Attacker of the Year) and Delaney Sweitzer (Goalkeeper of the Year).
The Eagles and Orange tied for the ACC regular-season title, and Boston College then won its first ACC Championship last Sunday, topping North Carolina, 11-9, in the championship game.
Tyrrell leads the ACC in points (96), points per game (5.33) and game-winning goals (7) this season. She has totaled 49 goals and 47 assists while leading the Orange to a 16-2 record. A graduate student from Mount Sinai, New York, Tyrrell leads the nation in points and ranks fifth nationally in assists. She was named a First-Team All-ACC honoree for the third straight season. Tyrrell became Syracuse's all-time points leader in the regular-season finale and ranks as the active Division I leader in career points (404) and assists (153).
Smith has totaled 44 goals and 28 assists this season, leading all ACC midfielders in assists and ranking eighth overall among all league players. Her 72 points ranks 10th in the ACC. A junior from Westhampton Beach, New York, Smith earned First-Team All-ACC honors for the third straight season. She is the only player in the ACC with at least 35 goals, 25 assists, 25 ground balls, 20 draw controls and 10 caused turnovers.
Scales spearheads a Boston College defense that surrendered just over nine goals per game this season, ranking 12th nationally in scoring defense (9.11). The junior from Walpole, Massachusetts, has picked up 37 groundballs and caused 32 turnovers and was named First-Team All-ACC for the second year in a row. She is second in the league in caused turnovers and third in ground balls.
Sweitzer boasts the ACC’s best save percentage (.509) and leads the league in saves per game at 9.11. A senior from Hatfield, Pennsylvania, she also ranks fourth in the ACC in goals against average (9.41). Sweitzer also claimed First-Team All-ACC laurels this season. She has recorded 10 or more saves in eight games in 2023, including three games with 15 or more saves.
Dolce stepped up this season to earn the BC starting goalkeeper spot and ranks second in the league in goals against average (8.64), fourth in save percentage (.470) and eighth in saves per game (5.61). The native of Darien, Connecticut, was named the ACC Tournament’s Most Valuable Player last week after making 19 saves over three games.
Named ACC Coach of the Year for the second time (2018), Walker-Weinstein led Boston College to its first ACC Championship this season as well as a share of the regular-season title. Now 16-3 on the season, the Eagles enter the NCAA Tournament on an 11-game win streak.
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2023 All-ACC Team was announced prior to the 2023 ACC Championship.
2023 ACC Women’s Lacrosse Season Awards
Attacker of the Year – Meaghan Tyrrell, Syracuse
Midfielder of the Year – Belle Smith, Boston College
Defender of the Year – Sydney Scales, Boston College
Goalkeeper of the Year – Delaney Sweitzer, Syracuse
Freshman of the Year – Shea Dolce, Boston College
Coach of the Year – Acacia Walker-Weinstein, Boston College