Sun Devil Lacrosse Lands Four on Pac-12 All-Conference First Team

SAN FRANCISCO - Sun Devil Lacrosse landed four individuals on the Pac-12 All-Conference First Team, as announced by the league as part of their postseason awards.

Attackers Emily Glagolev and Carley Adams, midfielder Taylor Pinzone, and defender Bella Gaspar earned four of 12 spots on the First Team, a new program record. Arizona State matched Pac-12 Regular Season and Tournament Champion Stanford for the most selections in the conference. An indication of the balance and overall talent of the roster, ASU had a player honored at each level of the field.

"It means a lot to the program to receive these honors," Head Coach Tim McCormack remarked. "All four are very deserving players who had a huge impact on our success. With how good the conference was this year, to have that many representatives is a great accomplishment."

In helping Arizona State reach new heights and achieve several program records, the four have been recognized at the top of their class. The Sun Devils finished the season 11-8 and are a consensus Top-20 team, having navigated one of the nation's toughest schedules. This comes in addition to the Pac-12 Coach of the Year honor awarded to Coach McCormack earlier this month.

The four All-Conference nominees bring the program's all-time total to 13, ten of which having come in the last two seasons under Coach McCormack. Here is more information on each of the selections.

Carley Adams, Attacker - First Team
Returning Pac-12 All-Conference First Team selection Carley Adams did not missed a beat, with her decision to return for another year paying huge dividends. She was U.S. Lacrosse Magazine's National Player of the Week after helping Arizona State defeat Stanford for the first time. Adams was also a two-time recipient of the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week award, one of only three players to win it twice this season.

The conference's leading goal scorer from a year ago added to her game, becoming one of the conference's elite passers this season. The three-time team captain was not only an emotional leader, but a leader on the field for the Top-20 Sun Devils that started all 19 games despite battling injuries.

A member of the original Sun Devil Lacrosse team, Adams has seen it all during her career, helping elevate the Arizona State program to new heights over the past two seasons. In 2022, Adams ability to score was a main focus of opposing gameplans. She recognized and took advantage of that, showing her unselfishness to allow teammates to emerge as goal scoring threats. Adams still managed to get plenty of her own, scoring 51 goals, tied the third-most in the Pac-12. Her 28 assists were also the fourth most in the league.

Adams is the only player in the conference with a combination of at least 50 goals and 25 assists, making her the Pac-12's ultimate dual-threat scorer. She finished with the third-highest shooting percentage in the league (56%), refusing to sacrifice efficiency for volume. Adams is an elite competitor and it shows in the way she stuffed the stat sheet, refusing to just be an offensive weapon. She collected 19 ground balls, earned seven draw controls, and caused five turnovers in addition to her gaudy offensive numbers.

The Fort Lauderdale native broke out with big games on several occasions, scoring 5+ points seven different times. She saved her best play for the most important time of the season, compiling 42 points over her final eight games. She has seven performances of 4+ goals, while also adding seven multi-assist efforts. She accomplished an incredible feat when ASU swept the Bay Area schools, scoring five goals in the win over Stanford and dishing out five assists two days later in the victory over Cal.

PEER REVIEW - Freshman defender Helen Park 

On what it's like facing Carley Adams in practice

"If I were to give it one word, I would say challenge because she goes 100% every single practice every single drill so you know whenever you're going up against her it's not going to be easy, it's going to be a challenge and it's going to be difficult because it's not going to be something you're used to. She does different things every single day because she's always changing and always evolving to get better but, it's just a challenge but it's a good challenge because you know it's making you better and I know I'm making her better so it just goes both ways."

On leadership towards the freshman class

"Carley Adams is a leader by example, she doesn't have to tell us to work hard, to keep our emotions down, or to do anything else because she's showing it. She's showing us how hard she should be going at practice, she's showing us how we should treat each other, she's showing us how to be the best player we can be."

On Carley's confidence and personality

"She shows us by example, she gives us a lot of confidence because she's confident. I don't think I've ever seen her be scared of another opponent or being like 'im going against the best defender in the country. It doesn't matter who the opponent is, she's ready for it so we're ready for it."

Emily Glagolev, Attacker - First Team
Returning Pac-12 All-Conference First Team Selection Emily Glagolev finished her Sun Devil career in epic fashion. She wrapped up an incredible run, once again starting all 19 games as a team captain. Despite being the focal point of many opposing gameplans, Glagolev still managed to dominate with her ability to both pass and score.

Glagolev has an incredible 86 points, one of only two players IN THE COUNTRY with 40+ goals and 40+ assists (Maryland's Aurora Cordingley). Glagolev has also added 14 ground balls and six caused turnovers, showing off her all-around game. She has the third-best shooting percentage in the conference among qualifying players, playing efficiently and effectively. Glagolev has elevated her game against the stiffest competition, playing her best against ranked opponents.

She has six performances with three or more goals combined with five games with 3+ assists. Her best performance came against California on the road, when she registered a single-game program record seven assists. Glagolev is second in the Pac-12 in assists (42) and tied for seventh in the Pac-12 in goals (44), showing why she is so tough to prepare for. She is the epitome of consistency and reliability, scoring at least one point in every game and two or more in 18 of 19 games.

PEER REVIEW - Sophomore defender Grace Lilla

On what makes Emily Glagolev a tough matchup
"Glag is really good at what she does. She is super shifty and has great vision, which makes her extremely tough to defend. You never see her rush or force anything. She is patient and has a very high lacrosse I.Q. As a defender, it is a pleasure to get to go up against her in practice because she makes us better every day."
 
On the leadership Glagolev has provided
"Glag is an awesome leader and always leading by example. She is one of the most composed players I have ever played with and that rubs off on the rest of the team. Always under control with her emotions and her play, which is what you want from a leader."
 
On what she has learned from Glagolev
"She has taught me and all the underclassmen a lot about how to handle yourself as a lacrosse player at this level. No matter the situation or circumstance, she stays consistent and handles whatever comes her way. A great teammate that always looked out for everyone."

Taylor Pinzone, Midfielder - First Team
It is hard to make a bigger impact in one year than graduate transfer Taylor Pinzone did in her lone season in Tempe. Pinzone has completely evolved her game since becoming a Sun Devil, starting every game in the midfield. Through 16 games of her Arizona State career, Pinzone already has 41 goals and 13 assists (54 points). In 50 games with the Wildcats, she had 34 goals and six assists (40 points).

On April 4th, she became just the second Sun Devil ever to win National Player of the Week, when Inside Lacrosse awarded her the honor. It came after the win at No. 14 Rutgers, in which Pinzone refused to let her team lose. She took over the second half of the game, scoring the game-tying goal to send it to overtime. That was the theme of the season for Pinzone, coming up big when the Sun Devils needed her. Arizona State played the nation's No. 1 non-conference schedule and Pinzone was not intimidated by any environment.

Pinzone is in the Top-10 in the league in both goals and points, proving to be one of the most impactful midfielders on the offensive end. That only tells half the story, as she is at least equally if not more important on the defensive end. Pinzone has added 42 draw controls, 30 ground balls, and nine caused turnovers, serving as a versatile and dynamic piece that allowed the Top-20 Sun Devils to take the next step.

She is the only player in the conference with 40+ goals, 30+ ground balls, and 40+ draw controls. In fact, no one is even close, especially if you add in the fact that Pinzone also has 13 assists. Pinzone is one of only a handful of players in the nation to boast these stats, making her one of the NCAA's most unique players. She has multiple goals in 14 of her 19 games, including six hat tricks. Pinzone also has collected multiple ground balls on ten occasions and controlled multiple draws 14 times. She had a season-high seven draw controls in the victory over No. 22 Stanford.

PEER REVIEW - Freshman midfielder Lexi Guerin

On Taylor Pinz at practice 

"I think having Pinz (Taylor Pinzone) at practice has pushed myself and my fellow teammates to be better players. She came in from Northwestern, which is obviously a powerhouse for lacrosse, so she has that knowledge and she comes in with all that skill from the four years that she played there. Playing against someone like her has definitely pushed me to compete at my highest level. She is such a talented player both offensively and defensively. She definitely has helped me to push myself to become the best I can be."  

On Taylor Pinz leadership and what she's learned from her

"Pinz came in and automatically was one of my favorite people. She had to lift with the freshman for a while since she was a transfer and our lifting system. Right away she had an impact on me because she's a fifth year, she's significantly older than I am but age isn't anything to her, she and I could hang out whenever we wanted. She didn't see me being a freshman as anything it was just we were friends right away. I totally respected her for that because coming in as a freshman never having met any of these girls was definitely frightening, but Pinz made it a lot more comforting because I knew I had someone like her to teach me things and to always have my back. She was always just a really great friend and I'm honestly so honored to have played with her this year because not only has she been a great player, she provides such an amazing presence to the team. She's so positive, she's so fun, and she's not just that way at practice - it's all the time."

Bella Gaspar, Defender - First Team
Returning First Team Pac-12 All-Conference defender Bella Gaspar somehow managed to take her game to another level, solidifying her status as one of the top shutdown defenders in the league. Gaspar started all 19 games on defense for the second consecutive season, providing a consistent and tough presence on the back end.

Gaspar finished with 41 ground balls, the highest total by a non-goalkeeper in the Pac-12. She added an incredible 21 caused turnovers, the fifth-highest total in the conference. Gaspar is the only player in the conference with at least 20 caused turnovers and 40 ground balls. She was tasked with defending the top attacker on the opposing team, as duty she embraced. Gaspar caused offenses fits with her aggressiveness and high I.Q., capitalizing on lapses by the attack.

Despite breaking in a freshman goalkeeper, the defense did not take a step back thanks in large part to the efforts of Gaspar. Not only was she one of the most effective players in gaining possession for her team, she was also one of the Sun Devils' go-to ball carriers, clearing the ball on many occasions. Despite this responsibility of heavy possession, she only committed 11 turnovers playing nearly every minute over the 19-game season. Gaspar caused multiple turnovers in nine games and collected 3+ ground balls nine times.

PEER REVIEW - Senior midfielder Kaylon Buckner
On Bella Gaspar and what it's been like facing her
"The way that she plays and her aggressiveness and everything does prepare us very well on offense. She always buckles down, she's very active, quick, and fast. Even when we do 3v3 I'm always like alright Bella's here, you can feel her presence for sure."

On Bella assuming more of a leadership role
"I think she's really stepped up, last year obviously a freshman coming in she did amazing and she's just riding that wave. I think she's doing a great job stepping into a leadership role as a defender. She's one of those people where she's always solid and I trust her."

On the confidence the team has in her on the back end
"Definitely a lot of confidence having her as a leader on the defensive end even with her sister and the other defenders, you can't really single out one person but I really think she brings a lot of value to the team even with her attitude and personality, it all goes some way. She's always positive and I definitely think it will keep us going."

PAC-12 FIRST TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
Carley Adams, Attacker
Emily Glagolev, Attacker
Taylor Pinzone, Midfielder
Bella Gaspar, Defender
Ali Baiocco, Attacker
Kelsey Huff, Midfielder
Ashley Humphrey, Attacker
Ailish Kelly, Midfielder
Kaleigh Brennan, Defender
Kate Burnside, Defender
Olivia Dooley, Defender
Kara Rahaim, Goalkeeper

HOW TO FOLLOW
Stay tuned for more offseason content and behind-the-scenes look at the program. For the latest updates, follow our Twitter and Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWLax). Like our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/sundevilwlax/) for content on the team throughout the season. Visit our website, TheSunDevils.com, for the latest information on the program.