Five players on the Radford women’s lacrosse team earned 2019 Big South Postseason awards with Emma Rogers and Katie Bendrick earning First Team honors, Adrian Rius and Callie Bonnel being recognized as Honorable Mention and Brittany Rinaldi making the All-Academic Team, the conference office announced Thursday afternoon.
The four players on all-conference teams mark the most in program history, surpassing the three that made it in 2017. Bendrick also becomes the first freshman – true or redshirt – in program history to be named First Team All-Big South.
“In our fourth season, we have had more players make the All Conference teams than ever before,” said head coach Haley Hardy. “This shows not only the growth of our program, but our athletes ability to improve in the environment that Radford University provides.”
As a senior captain, Rogers led the Highlanders in goals (32), assists (17) and points (49) which all ranked top-10 in the Big South as well. On April 2nd she became the first player in school history to be tabbed as Big South Offensive Player of the Week and her career comes to a close as the program’s leader in points (181), assists (63), shots on goal (223) and caused turnovers (58).
“I couldn’t be more proud of Emma Rogers,” beamed Coach Hardy. “She really made a comeback this year after a tough junior season. Emma played this whole season while pushing through injury, showing not only her talent but her toughness. She is an elite player and an even better leader, who will be greatly missed by our team.”
Bendrick took the league by storm in her debut season, finishing with 50 draw control wins, 40 ground balls and 27 caused turnovers after starting all 14 games. She was named Big South Freshman of the Week on Feb. 19 and that was just the beginning. The Brentwood, Tenn. native ranks third in the Big South with 2.86 ground balls per game and an incredible 23rd out of all players in the nation with 1.93 caused turnovers per game.
“Katie Bendrick being the sole freshmen to be named first team and the first freshman in our program’s history to receive this award is a huge accomplishment,” noted Coach Hardy. “Benny is nowhere close to reaching her ceiling and she is extremely fun to coach as she continues to improve through every practice. This is just the beginning of what is sure to be an outstanding career for her.”
Another senior captain, Bonnel didn’t quite reach the heights of her junior season but still turned in a great year with 22 goals and five assists for 27 points. She posted a career-high 58 draw control wins while picking up 31 ground balls – her third consecutive season of 30+ ground balls – and added 12 caused turnovers. She leaves Radford as the program’s all-time leader in ground balls (118), free-position goals (47), games started (63) and minutes played (3,731).
“Callie’s worth to our team could never be measured merely by statistics,” said Coach Hardy. “So much of what she does, does not show up in a box score. She is the ultimate leader and as blue collar as they come, the Big South coaches recognize that and value it as much as we do within our program. Callie truly set the bench mark on work ethic for our program, a legacy we hope many of our younger midfielders look to mirror.”
Rius was once again excellent on the offensive end of the field, scoring 30 goals for her fourth straight year of 25+ goals. She also added nine assists to finish with 39 points overall while adding 48 draw controls, 18 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. The Boca Raton, Fla. native completes her career as Radford’s all-time leader in goals (139), shots attempted (287) and draw controls (305).
“Making all conference has been a goal of Adrian’s since she was a freshmen and it is rewarding for her to achieve this in her final season,” continued Coach Hardy. “She was a force on the offensive end for us and always provided a challenge for opposing defenders.”
Rinaldi played in all 14 games including 12 starts. She finished with 22 ground balls, 17 caused turnovers, five draw controls and an assist, but most importantly she excelled in the classroom. The redshirt junior carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average as a Geospatial Science major.
“Brittany’s ability to be such a strong lacrosse player and student is so impressive,” said Coach Hardy. “Not only does she maintain a perfect 4.0 GPA, but she does so in a very challenging major. Brittany’s success can be attributed to her passion and work ethic in both lacrosse and Geospatial Science. We are so proud of her and believe she is the perfect role model for future Highlanders.”
–RU Athletics
