GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Guilford College women's lacrosse team featured five athletes, Carm DeFeo (Shelton, Conn.), Hannah McMasters (Browns Summit, N.C.), Natalia Rubio (Greensboro, N.C.), Leyla Strong (Concord, N.C.), and Kylie Wood (Greensboro, N.C.), get selected to the Collegiate Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team for academic and athletic success, as announced by the organization on Tuesday.

Lacrosse is a sport that falls under the CSC's at-large program for Academic All-District recognition. In order to qualify for the honor in lacrosse, student-athletes must be at least an academic and athletic sophomore, maintaining a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or higher in the classroom. Meanwhile, a nominee must have competed in 90% of the team's total games played, or start in 66% of the team's total games. No more than six student-athletes may be an at-large nominee per school per gender.

DeFeo broke out in her second season with the Quakers, ranking as one of the best and most-efficient goal-scorers in Division-III women's lacrosse, finishing 176^th in the country in total goals, with 47, 172^nd in goals per game, with 2.76, and 126^th in shooting percentage at .534. In addition to that, she was adept at chasing down draws, with 46 draw controls, second-most on the team, forced 17 caused turnovers, also second-most, and scooped 32 groundballs, the second-most among Guilford field players. A member of a three-headed monster propelling the Quaker offense this spring, DeFeo started all-17 contests. In the classroom, Defeo has a 3.53 GPA and studies Exercise & Sport Sciences.

Another of the dominant scoring trio that Guilford flexed this season, McMasters was the leading point-scorer on the roster as the "point guard" of the program's most-dominant offensive attack in over a decade. Netting 48 goals at a rate of 2.82 per game, the grad transfer ranked 163^rd and 155^th respectively in those categories while also being the second-best distributor in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Starting all-17 games, she dished 32 assists, third-most in the league, but averaging 1.88 per game, the second-most in the ODAC and 95^th-most in Division-III. Those combined to make McMasters a top-100 scorer in Division-III women's lacrosse this spring, with 80 total points, ranking 94^th nationally, at a rate of 4.71 per game that slotted 80^th in the country. Finishing her undergraduate degree at Delaware State University above the GPA threshold for Academic All-District, McMasters went on to be flawless in the classroom this year with a 4.0 mark in the GC MBA program.

The first of Guilford's trio of repeat honorees, Rubio claims Academic All-District distinction for the third time in as many seasons. Appearing in all-17 contests, she started in 16 of them netting a singular goal against Sweet Briar College. She was stout defensively, forcing a dozen turnovers, fifth-most on the team, and scooping 12 groundballs. All the while, she contributed to a GC defense that allowed the second-fewest goals per game since COVID and aided in the program's first positive goal differential in a full season since 2019. Academically, Rubio completes her Sports Management degree with a 3.63 GPA.

A dual-sport athlete, Strong makes her second Academic All-District team for lacrosse this season after a strong second season with the program. Starting all-16 games that she participated in, Strong netted her first collegiate goal against Montreat College after previously dishing the second assist in her career in the Quakers season-opener, but like Rubio most of her contributions came defensively. Ranking third on the team in caused turnovers, with 15, she also collected 13 groundballs this season, adding a draw control for good measure as well. Wrapping up her time at Guilford as a double-major, studying Health Sciences and Exercise & Sport Sciences, Strong accrued a 3.74 GPA.

The final honoree is Wood, who completed her degree early this spring after a transformative three years in the women's lacrosse program. Scoring just 10 goals as a freshman, she tripled that total by this season, finishing as a top-25 goal scorer in the ODAC with 30 tallies along with 11 assists as GC's number-four scorer. While fourth in total points, Wood was first in efficiency, converting on her attempts at a .566 rate, the fourth-best mark in the ODAC and 55^th-best in Division-III. Starting all 17 games for the Quakers, Wood also notched 20 groundballs, eight caused turnovers, and six draw controls. Completing her degree a full year early, Wood earns her bachelor's in Accounting with a cumulative GPA of 3.96.

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