MOUNT VERNON – Fresh off a historical 10-win season, Cornell had a program-best five players recognized with Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference postseason awards for the 2023 campaign.
 
Junior defender India Smith highlighted Cornell's honorees as the MWLC Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first Ram to win the award. Smith was voted to the 15-player All-MWLC First Team, after gaining second team status in 2022.
 
The Rams landed three all-MWLC second team selections in junior midfielder Anna Methe, sophomore midfielder Meg Lewis and sophomore attacker Cece Zanoni. First-year midfielder Brynn Miroslavich represented Cornell on the MWLC All-Sportsmanship Team.
 
Smith's terrific defensive play helped the Rams set a school record for goals allowed per game (8.95). She ranked third in the MWLC in ground balls (66), the third-highest total in school history. Smith finished fourth in the league with 33 caused turnovers, No. 2 on Cornell's all-time season list.
 
Smith collected a school-record 11 ground balls in a March 29 win over UW-Stout. She also contributed 12 goals and two assists to the Rams' offensive attack. Smith's 61 career caused turnovers are one shy of the all-time record.    
 
Methe made an impact in her third season with the Rams, ranking fifth among conference players in both ground balls (55) and caused turnovers (32). She demonstrated her versatility with 27 goals and 26 draw controls, standing second on the team in both categories.
 
Lewis ranked fifth in the MWLC with 61 draw controls, the second-highest total in program history. Her 10 draw controls against league foe Augsburg tied a single-game record. Lewis totaled 21 points (14 goals) and 36 ground balls.
 
Zanoni was Cornell's offensive playmaker, ranking second in the MWLC with 48 goals and fifth in points with 53. Only Barbie Becker (2019) has scored more goals and points in a season than Zanoni, who went off for a school-record 10 goals in the April 29 home finale against Monmouth.
 
Miroslavich enjoyed an impressive first season with the Rams, posting 17 goals, 39 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers while starting all 18 games.
 
The Rams (10-8 overall, 4-3 MWLC) shattered the program record for wins in a season and qualified for the MWLC Tournament for the first time as the No. 4 seed under eighth-year head coach Meredith Meier.