Video: Season Highlights  |  Recap: Titans Dethrone Jacksonville

DETROIT (5/20/2016) -- Records were broken, champions were dethroned and the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse program once again proved to be one of the top teams in the Atlantic Sun conference when the 2016 season was all said and done.

Under the direction of head coach Laura Maness, the Titans secured their second-straight winning season and broke the school record for wins, while reaching the Atlantic Sun Championship game for the fourth-straight season. Detroit handed perennial power Jacksonville its first ever loss in conference history, winning 9-8 over the Dolphins in the tournament semifinals and marking perhaps the biggest victory in Titan women's lacrosse history.

The Titans were just one goal away from making the NCAA Tournament, falling just short against Old Dominion in a thrilling A-Sun Championship game.

Detroit Mercy was led by a strong group of upperclassmen that blended well with an up-and-coming group of youngsters. Freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Wandelt was named the A-Sun Freshman of the Year, while along with Wandelt, seniors Kylie Birney and Ally Shrader were each named to All-Atlantic Sun. Three freshmen -- Wandelt, Lexie Kinmond and Morgan Girardi were also named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team following the season.

For the second-straight year, Birney was named the A-Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the senior midfielder was also named CoSIDA Academic At-Large All-District, the first Titan women's lacrosse student-athlete to receive the accolade and just one of three women's lacrosse student-athletes across Division I. As a squad, the Titans earned a 3.50 GPA during the spring semester with 21 student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA or better during the term.

Detroit put together a program-record six-game win streak during the season and set several school records, including tying the mark for total goals, allowing the fewest goals per game in school history and establishing new marks in draw controls, free-position goals, assists and points. Several individual marks were also reached as Wandelt broke the single-season school record for free-position goals and draw controls.

The senior class of Birney, Morgan Miller, Michaela Schwartz and Shrader compiled 32 victories during their four-year careers and reached the A-Sun Championship contest all four years.

Season Milestones
• The Titans have recorded back-to-back winning seasons, the first two in program history. Detroit has 22 wins in the past two years.
• Detroit won six-straight in a near one-month span, including the program's first-ever win over Robert Morris. The Titans held Delaware State to just one goal in a 22-1 victory in the second win in the stretch. It was the largest margin of victory in program history and first time holding a team to one goal or fewer.
• Detroit tied the school record for wins in a season in a Senior Day victory -- its 10th of the year -- over Howard.
• For the third-straight season, the Titans defeated a higher seed at the Atlantic Sun Championships. After the fourth-seeded Titans defeated No. 5 Mercer in the quarterfinals, Detroit Mercy took down No. 1 Jacksonville, 9-8, in the semifinals.
• The Titans accomplished A-Sun several firsts as an opponent against Jacksonville: First team to lead the Dolphins by five goals, first to lead Jacksonville at halftime, first to hold JU under 10 goals in a game, first team to score nine goals against Jacksonville, first team to lead the entire game and first team to win.
• The win over Jacksonville snapped JU's 30-game win streak in the Atlantic Sun. JU was the three-time defending conference tournament champions.
• The Titans broke several season records, both offensively and defensively. The red, white and blue tied the single-season record for goals (235), while setting new marks in lowest goals against average (10.35), draw controls (248), free-position goals (61), assists (78) and points (313).
• Detroit set a new school record for shots in a game, firing 54 during its win over Radford.

Individual Milestones
• Wandelt led the Atlantic Sun in draw controls (73) and free-position goals (19) -- both new school records -- and was second in the Atlantic Sun in goals (64) and points (75), ground balls (48), caused turnovers (30), shots (122) and shots on goal (90). She set the single-game school record in draw controls with 10. Wandelt finished the season with seven-straight hat tricks and had 13 on the season. In league play, she led the A-Sun with 33 goals and 13 free-position goals in eight games.
• Kylie Birney became the fourth player to score 100 career goals and finished her career tied for third in Titan history with 110 markers.
• Lexie Kinmond ranked fourth in the league in points (64), fifth in assists (23) and sixth in goals (41). Her 23 helpers was second all-time in single-season school history.
• Several Titans tallied career-highs in ground balls: Birney (42), Shrader (40), Lauren Webley (36), Mucci (32), Jordyn Beam (20) and Julie Castner (18).
• Detroit had four of the top five players in terms of free-position goals in the A-Sun: Wandelt (19), Kinmond (13), Birney (11) and Girardi (10).
• Wandelt set the freshmen goal-scoring record with her 64 markers. Kinmond (41) and Girardi (31) also reached 30 goals in their first collegiate seasons.
• Emma Mucci totaled the second-best single-game total in draw controls, collecting eight at Mercer. Mucci finished the season with 40 draw controls, second best on the team and tied for fifth in the conference with 23 DC in eight league games.
• Freshman GK Allison McDonough set a new school-record with 12 wins as a goalkeeper and finished the year with the lowest goals against average in school history (10.69).
• Birney reached 100 career draw controls and 100 ground balls, while Shrader became the ninth Titan to surpass 100 GB in her career.
• Following the conclusion of the A-Sun Championships, McDonough, Mucci and Webley were each named to the Atlantic Sun All-Tournament Team.
• Along with Birney, junior Julie Castner was voted to the 12-member Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team.
• Twelve players played in all 20 games, while Birney, Girardi, McDonough, Wandelt and Webley each started all 20 contests.

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