Asher, Zadjura Tabbed Preseason All-CAA WLAX Honorees, Elon Selected Third

RICHMOND, Va. – Announced Tuesday, Jan. 23, by the CAA, Elon University women’s lacrosse attacker Stephanie Asher and defender Alexis Zadjura have been named members of the 2018 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Team.

Asher has now been selected as a Preseason All-CAA honoree three seasons in a row. After being picked as an honorable mention last season, this marks the first time Zadjura has made the preseason team.

A season ago, Asher had a standout season with a school-record 58 goals and 69 points on the way to being named a Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List honoree and a postseason Inside Lacrosse All-America honorable mention. The senior from Glenelg, Md., has earned back-to-back postseason First Team All-CAA honors after being named a Second Team All-CAA honoree as a freshman in 2015. A four-time CAA Player of the Week, Asher has scored 140 goals in her three seasons in maroon and gold, while her 58 goals last year were the 14th-most in CAA history. After the season, Asher was named CAA Women’s Lacrosse’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

Zadjura enters her senior campaign coming of back-to-back Second Team All-CAA honors in 2016 and 2017. The senior from Woodstock, Md., has started all 53 games Elon has played since she joined the program. Zadjura finished 2017 with 33 ground balls, 25 caused turnovers and 35 draw controls. Her 35 draw controls led the team while the 33 ground balls placed second and the 25 caused turnovers ranked third. She was named to the CAA All-Tournament Team after two stellar games on defense in the win over second-seeded Towson in the CAA Semifinals and against James Madison in the CAA title game.

For the second year in a row, Elon has been selected to finish third in the CAA in 2018. Defending CAA champion James Madison picked up 36 points and six first-place votes while Towson garnered 31 points and one first-place vote. Elon finished with 24 points, three head of fourth-place Delaware and eight ahead of fifth-place Hofstra.

Both Asher and Zadjura will serve as team captains for the upcoming 2018 season, which starts on Sunday, Feb. 11, when Elon visits Duke. The Phoenix is ranked No. 20 in the Inside Lacrosse media poll to open the campaign while Duke checks in at No. 21. First draw between the Phoenix and Blue Devils is set for 1 p.m. in Durham, N.C.

2018 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Team
Stephanie Asher, Attack, Elon
Kristen Gaudian, Attack, James Madison
Natalie Sulmonte, Attack, Towson
Emily Gillingham, Midfielder, Towson
Becky Gohsler, Midfielder, Delaware
Kaitlyn Montalbano, Midfielder, Towson
Alyssa Parrella, Midfielder, Hofstra
Elena Romesburg, Midfielder, James Madison
Haley Warden, Midfielder, James Madison
Olivia Conte, Defender, Towson
Rebecca Tooker, Defender, James Madison
Tianna Wallpher, Defender, Towson
Alexis Zadjura, Defender, Elon
Taylor Carpentier, Goalie, Delaware

Honorable Mention: Carly Tellekamp (Towson), Hanna Haven (James Madison), Drew Shapiro (Hofstra), Molly Savage (Drexel).

CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Haley Warden, James Madison

2018 Predicted Order of Finish
1. James Madison, 36 (6)
2. Towson, 31 (1)
3. Elon, 24
4. Delaware, 21
5. Hofstra, 16
6. Drexel, 11
7. William & Mary, 8