It was announced on August 10 that the University of Redlands women’s lacrosse team garnered Academic Squad honors from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). This award is given to all member team’s that boast a collective cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher.

With a combined mark of 3.2, Redlands was one of 62 institutions to earn this honor.

Among the top Bulldogs, senior Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA), junior Erin Benjamin (San Diego, CA), and freshman Rachel Haag (Newtown, PA) all boast cumulative GPAs of 3.7 or higher. In addition, seniors Ali Chope (San Francisco, CA), Liza Gray (Centennial, CO), and Lisa O’Kane (San Diego, CA), as well as junior Anna Moriarty (Oak Park, IL), and freshmen Lauren Crask (Livermore, CA) and Erika Busch (West Linn, OR) land in the 3.5 to 3.69 range.

Last season, the Bulldog women’s lacrosse team mustered 6-8 record against a formidable Division III schedule of opponents.

The 2010 season kicks off the inaugural Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship opportunity for the sport, with Occidental College moving its program to varsity status. In addition to Redlands, Occidental, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, and Whittier College will face off for the first-ever conference title in women’s lacrosse.