Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

June 23, 2025 - The North Central College women's golf and lacrosse teams have been recognized with six combined selections to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District At-Large Teams. The awards, which recognized combined academic and athletic excellence, are nominated and voted upon by the CSC membership, which includes more than 4,000 members at higher education institutions in the United States and Canada.

Cardinal honorees include Mallorie Clifton and Madison Place from women's golf and Lucy Culig, Abby MacKenzie, Annelise Oster and Tori Leonard from women's lacrosse. To qualify, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, and maintain a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 3.50. For golf, nominees must be in the lineup for at least 70 percent of team-scored events or compete in their weight class at a conference championship meet. To be eligible for lacrosse, nominees must compete in 90 percent of the institution's competitions played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's matches.

Clifton, a criminology and sociology major, competed in every round for North Central. She led the Cardinals with an average score of 80.89 and with a season-low of 72. Clifton finished in the top five twice this past season. Place, an entrepreneurship major, played in all 18 rounds for the Cardinals this season. She fired a season-low of 76 while earning two top 10 finishes. On the year, she posted an average score of 82.11, the second-best on the team. 

MacKenzie, a biology major, posted 60 points on the year with a team-high 113 draw controls. She finished her career with 150 goals, 138 ground balls, and 260 draw controls, all in the top four of the career program records. Oster, an accounting major, led the Cardinals with 66 points this season (62 goals, four assists). She scored a season-high seven goals vs Augustana on Apr. 23. Culig racked up 40 points on the year with 19 goals and seven assists. Her .875 shot on goal percentage led the team among players who played in all 16 games. Leonard helped anchor the Cardinal defense with 32 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers. She played in all 16 games and picked up a season-best five ground balls on Mar. 12 vs Lewis & Clark.

MacKenzie advances to the Academic All-America ballot, which will be announced on Wednesday, July 8 at 11 a.m.

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