INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) announced its women's lacrosse Players of the Week recognitions on Monday, March 16th, with McKendree sweeping both the offensive and defensive nods.
Senior attacker Jayna Barnden (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) was named Offensive Player of the Week by the conference after totaling 12 goals and four assists for 16 points, along with 13 ground balls, one draw control, and three caused turnovers on 63.2% shooting overall and 84.2% on the goal
In the game one win against Fort Lewis, Barnden finished with five goals and three assists for eight points, along with six ground balls on 50.0% shooting overall and 90.0% on the goal. In the game two win at Colorado State Pueblo, she tied a career-high seven goals (two of which on free-position) with an assist for eight points, along with a career-high seven ground balls, with a draw control and three caused turnovers on 77.8% shooting overall and 77.8% on the goal.
Junior goalkeeper Amber Hayden (Woburn, Mass.) was named to the Defensive Player of the Week honor, as she collected 24 saves on a 72.7 save percentage and 4.5 goals-against average, along with four ground balls and two caused turnovers.
In the game one win against Fort Lewis, Hayden finished with 14 saves on an 87.5 save percentage, along with a ground ball and two caused turnovers with only two goals allowed. In the game two win at Colorado State Pueblo, she finished with 10 saves on a 58.8 save percentage, along with three ground balls while holding the ThunderWolves scoreless for the last three quarters of the game.
Barnden is top-10 in the GLVC in goals per game (6th – 3.5), assists per game (3rd – 2.2), points per game (3rd – 5.7), shots per game (4th – 7.3), and ground balls per game (4th – 3.0). Hayden, meanwhile, is top-10 in the conference in goals-against average (6th – 8.3), save percentage (1st – 57.8%), saves per game (1st – 11.1), and ground balls per game (10th – 2.4).
In the NCAA Division II, Barnden is top-25 in free-position goals per game (9th – 1.0), free-position percentage (23rd – 66.7%), goals per game (22nd – 3.5), points per game (10th – 5.3), shots per game (25th – 7.3), and shots on goal per game (16th – 5.8). Hayden is top-25 in the nation in goals-against average (12th – 8.3), save percentage (4th – 57.1%), total saves (4th – 76), saves per game (9th – 10.9), and shot percentage (1st – 100%).
This marks the third consecutive week McKendree has had a player selected to the weekly accolade via the GLVC, as junior defender Rylee Fox (Woodridge, Ill.) and sophomore attacker Ariyah LaFrance (Akwesasne, N.Y.) each collected one in the two weeks prior. It is also the second time ever in the women's lacrosse GLVC-era (since 2020) that the program had both offensive and defensive players in the same week, as Sydney Tiemann and Clara Andrews did so on February 28th, 2022.
"Both Jayna and Amber have been stellar this past week," said Head Coach Natalie Simpson. "They have led the charge in many different ways, both on and off the field for the team, and have impacted the culture of our entire team. I am thrilled that their hard work has not gone unnoticed, and I look forward to seeing them get even better!"
UP NEXT
McKendree will take a bye week from competition to get some rest and will be back in action on Thursday, March 26th in the first of a two-game slate to Michigan to extend their road trip, as they will face Northwood University at 11:00 AM CT at the Dean Soccer Field in Midland, Michigan.
The game will be streamed live or on-demand on FloSports with a subscription purchase required, as live stats will also be provided to the public.
Make sure to keep up with McKendree University Women's Lacrosse on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram. #GLVCwlax | #D2lax
For more updates and information on Bearcat Athletics, please continue to visit McKBearcats.com and follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), and Instagram.
#BearcatsUnleashed
