(Allendale, Mich. May 7) – For the first time in program history the McKendree University women's lacrosse team has been crown Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Champions. The Bearcats posted a 12-8 victory over the Lakers of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) to claim the crown.

Head Coach Melissa Gyllenborg was pleased with her team's performance throughout the season.

"I'm incredibly proud of our team and our play during the 2017 campaign," said Gyllenborg. "The girls played great today and executed our game plan perfectly.  GVSU is a very talented team and challenged us the entire duration. I'm very happy of everything this team has accomplished over the season."

In a game that featured three ties and two lead changes the Bearcats were able to pull away late in the first half. McKendree controlled the game from the first whistle outshooting GVSU 31-20 putting 23 on cage.

Offensively Bree Suter (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill) stole the show as she posted a game-high four goals. Dana DiPasquale (St. Charles, MO/Barat Academy), Emily Nelson (Deephaven, MN/Holy Family Catholic), and Victoria Lelo (Auckland, New Zealand/Westlake) added two while Paige Salthouse (St. Louis, MO/Ursuline Academy) and Hannah Sugarman (Holden, MA/Wachusett Regional ) added one to the Bearcat total. Ola Abdallah (Florissant, MO/Hazelwood West) and Sugarman both added two assists to the McKendree offense.

Defensively the GLIAC Goalie of the Year, Amy Porta (Ellisville, MO/Marquette) shinned recording 10 saves on 18 shots faced. Porta added a game-high seven groundballs while Lelo added six and DiPasquale chipped in five. Lelo had another great day at the draw recording a game-high six draws securing extra possessions for the high-powered Bearcat offense.

Concluding the GLIAC Championship, the conference announced its 2017 All-GLIAC Tournament Team which included five Bearcat players. Victoria Lelo (Auckland, New Zealand/Westlake) headlined the team being named MVP. Lelo was joined by teammate Dana DiPasquale (St. Charles, MO/Barat Academy), Paige Salthouse (St. Louis, MO/Ursuline Academy), Bree Suter (Westminster, MD/Winters Mill), and Amy Porta (Ellisville, MO/Marquette).

The women's lacrosse team's fate will be decided today at 8 p.m. ET during the NCAA DII Selection Show. In the last regional rankings McKendree stood at No. 7. The top six teams from the North and South Regions will advance to the NCAA Tournament. Tune to the selection show at http://www.ncaa.com/live/player?vid=2017/3051&date=2017/05/07