Last week, the KSU Department of Athletics announced that four student-athletes earned preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors ahead of their respective seasons.
The first athlete to be selected from KSU was redshirt senior softball player Jade Lee, who was chosen to the all-conference squad at the utility position on Wednesday, Jan. 15. Lee impressed during her first year with the Owls last season, batting for a .315 average on offense while contributing defensively with 43 putouts primarily from the third base position.
Her high batting average was good for second on the team, and she also finished with 11 doubles and 23 runs batted in. Highlights from last season included a three-RBI game against Saint Louis University and a game-winning RBI sacrifice fly against Jacksonville University.
Three more Owls were awarded on Friday — all from the lacrosse team.
Leading the way was 2019 ASUN Player of the Year junior Siena Gore, who led the conference last season with 68 goals. That goal tally was good for 12th overall in the nation and just two goals short of her freshman season total of 70, which set a new ASUN Conference single-season record.
Along with her goal-scoring feat last season, her 10 assists helped set a new school record for total points with 78. Gore is also the preseason Player of the Year.
The versatile midfielder has also had a defensive presence in her KSU career, causing 44 turnovers and earning the conference Defensive Player of the Week award during her freshman year.
Joining Gore on the All-Conference list are seniors Maura Palandro and Abby Squires.
Palandro has been a source of defensive consistency for the Owls over the years, using both her positional sense and occasional aggression to establish a strong foundation for the KSU backline. She has totaled 107 ground balls and 40 caused turnovers in her career.
During her sophomore season, Palandro became the first defender in KSU history to earn First Team All-Conference honors and was selected on the Second Team last year.
Squires finished behind Gore for second on the team in scoring last season with 41 goals. After garnering Second Team honors last season, she will seek to continue her momentum and help the Owls go for a winning record this season.
