By: Mark Wasik
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KENNESAW, Ga. – One of the top offensive players in the nation who has rewritten both the school and conference record book,
Siena Gore added to her long list of career accomplishments when she was named the 2022 ASUN Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday. Gore is the first player in ASUN history to be named Player of the Year twice, after first claiming the honor in the 2019 season.
Gore didn't stop there, as she was also named the 2022 ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year. This is her first year claiming the award, but it's not the first for the family, as her twin sister Marissa was the 2021 recipient. Gore is also the second-ever player in ASUN history to be named both Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year in the same season, joining Mercer's Lindsey Zeltwanger in 2017.
The ASUN also announced its first and second team all-conference awards, as well as the all-freshman squad and the all-academic teams. The Owls had a total of three players on the All-ASUN teams, as Gore became the first-ever player to be named first team four times. She was joined by
Roslyn Talbert, while
Hannah Barth was a second team selection.
Hannah Davis and
Devon Webb represented the Owls on the ASUN All-Freshman team. Selected as All-Academic were Gore and
McKenzie Jackson.
Gore, a senior attacker from Alpharetta, Ga., led the nation in scoring for the majority of the season, and is currently third in the NCAA with a new career, KSU and ASUN record-setting 79 goals this season with at least one more game to play. She was the key factor for an Owl team that claimed the first winning season in school history, breaking the record for most wins in a season by three games with an 11-6 mark. Gore, ranks in the top 10 in the nation in nine categories, including fifth in total points with 99, a new school record, and she also ranks fifth in draw controls per game at 8.88, while her 151 for the year shattered her previous career record. Gore comes into the ASUN Tournament this week leading the ASUN in goals, points, free position goals and draw controls, and earned a league-high four Player of the Week honors. She currently ranks fourth all-time in career scoring in the NCAA with 312 goals.
She is graduating from KSU this month with her master's degree in Systems Engineering, and held a perfect 4.0 GPA all three years of her undergraduate career as well as her past two years in graduate school. She was named Academic All-ASUN for the third time in her career.
Talbert, a senior defender from Lancaster, Pa., was one of the top defenders on a KSU squad that is on pace to shatter the school record for Team GAA, having given up just a 11.71 coming into the ASUN tournament. She ranks in the top 25 in the ASUN in both caused turnovers (13) and ground balls (17). This is Talbert's first career ASUN season honor.
Barth, a sophomore from Herdon, Va., was named to the second team after claiming ASUN All-Freshman honors in 2021. She led the team and is third in the league in assists with 19, which is currently the fifth-highest total in school history. She added 20 goals as well to give her 39 points for the season, ninth-best mark in the conference.
Davis, a native of Roswell and Webb, from Tabernacle, N.J., were selected as ASUN All-Freshman after appearing in 10 games each, including three in league play. Both players scored three goals each in their first year with the Black and Gold.
Jackson joined Gore on the ASUN All-Academic Team after posting a perfect 4.0 GPA as a graduate student at KSU where she will receive her master's degree in Engineering Management. The senior attacker, a native of Bowie, Md., provided an instant spark on offense for the Owls this season in her first year with the team, as she was tied for second on the team and eighth in the ASUN in goals with 30. She ranked fifth in free position goals with nine and had 36 total points coming into this week's ASUN Semifinals.
NEXT UP: The third-seeded Owls open play in the 2022 ASUN Tournament with a semifinal contest against second-seed Liberty on Thursday at 4 pm. This year's tournament is being hosted by Jacksonville University at Rock Stadium.
