Trio from Lawrenceville highlights All-Prep awards

It was a banner year for the prep schools in Mercer County as Lawrenceville captured its first county title and defended its Mid-Atlantic Prep League title. Meanwhile, Princeton Day made it a three peat in Prep B.

Hun made great strides along with Pennington, Stuart and Peddie to make it a competitive season.

It wasn’t accomplished without some gifted and talented players, so here is The Trentonian’s 2017 All-Prep team.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR, ANNABELLE ALBERT (LAWRENCEVILLE) » Albert quietly had a phenomenal year for the Big Red, caging 66 goals and accounting for a county prep high 117 points. A strong offensive player, Albert always found a way to reach the back of the cage.

MIDFIELDERS OF THE YEAR, REILLY FLETCHER (LAWRENCEVILLE) AND CHLOE JONES (LAWRENCEVILLE) » It would be impossible to separate these two since they were the heart and soul of the Lawrenceville team for more than just this season.

Fletcher tallied 64 goals and added 28 assists while Jones had 55 and 23.

Fletcher will take her many talents to Boston University in the fall and Jones is headed to Virginia. Over the past four years they have been the driving force for the Big Red’s success.

DEFENDER OF THE YEAR, ABBY ATKESON (PRINCETON DAY) » Not only was Atkeson one of the senior leaders of the Panthers, she was the anchor of the defense. There were times this season it was the defense that got the attack going for the Prep B champions and Atkeson was in the middle of it all.

GOALIE OF THE YEAR, LAUREN CUNIFF (HUN) » Cuniff burst on the scene and let it be known early on scoring on the Raiders was not going to be an easy task. Cuniff, who had an 11-4 record in the cage, came up big in key games for Hun.

COACHES OF THE YEAR, KRIS SCHULTE (LAWRENCEVILLE) AND JILL THOMAS (PDS) » Schulte upgraded the Lawrenceville schedule and kept the team focused on a couple key goals, an MCT title and repeating as MAPL champion.

Thomas did another masterful job in leading the Panthers to a third straight Prep B title. It’s not always easy to have a team keep its eye on the prize for three straight seasons, but Thomas had the Panthers focused and ready for the challenge.

Here are the remaining first team selections:

MADISON MUNDENAR (PRINCETON DAY) » A three-time state champion, Mundenar led the Panthers in scoring with 70 goals and 95 points. A gifted offensive player, ofher ability to take over a game made the difference.

SHANNON DUDECK (HUN) » It was a breakout year for the Raiders senior as she caged 51 goals and added 13 assists. Headed to Holy Cross in the fall, Dudeck possesses great speed and tremendous shot accuracy.

GIANNA LUCCHESI (PENNINGTON) » A gifted athlete, Lucchesi did a great job on draw controls and her agility and athleticism were evident on the attack. The sophomore’s 48 goals were a main ingredient to the Red Raiders’ success.

ALI HANNAH (STUART) » Hannah led the preps in goals with 80 and there were many games she put the Stuart attack on her back and carried the team. Only a sophomore, Hannah gives the Tartans a bright future and a solid on the field leader.

HANNAH BUNCE (HUN) » Bunce made the transition to Hun a positive one as she blended right in the with the Raiders. She tallied 40 goals and added 25 assists and achieved her 100th career goal this season.

MORGAN MILLS (PRINCETON DAY) » One of the senior leaders on the Panthers, Mills can do it all on the field. One of her best attributes is ability to put the team first in all aspects. The Princeton-bound Mills caged 50 goals and helped on 44 others to play a major role in PDS’ state title.

KYRA HALL (PRINCETON DAY) » Another of the strong players that kept the Panthers on top the Prep B rankings. Hall, a junior, had 29 goals and 11 assists and played a major role in their success.

BRIDGET KANE (PRINCETON DAY) » It seemed all season when the Panthers needed a big goal, Kane found the right opening to make a sensational pass for a goal. She had a team high 25 assists and was a catalyst for much of the success and she added 22 goals.

MADDI SEIBEL (PENNINGTON) » Seibel’s 51 goals led the Red Raiders and her steady play was important to a young group. Seibel, a junior, added 11 assists.

ZOE COOK (HUN) » A newcomer to the Hun program this season, it took the fundamentally sound Cook a few games to gain the confidence needed, and once she did, what a season she put together. Cook caged 48 goals and added 14 assists and quickly became a go-to play.

EMILY WALTHER (LAWRENCEVILLE) » While the offense seemed to get all the attention a major part of the success was the defense. Walther was the anchor and a most dependable defender.

OLIVIA MAHONY (PENNINGTON) » Mahony was always around when the Red Raiders needed a stop, a turnover or a ground ball. She grew into a top-notch defender this season and her play kept the Red Raiders in every game.

BRIDGET WOOD (PEDDIE) » For many years the name Wood has been synonymous with Peddie lacrosse and Bridget is no exception. A staunch defender

who always brings her best to the field.

SIERRA WATKINS (LAWRENCEVILLE) » A newcomer to the goal this season, her play helped the Big Red get off to a great start and develop confidence.