SOUTH BEND, Ind. – As the women’s lacrosse program gears up for a postseason run, Madison Ahern, Kasey Choma, Jackie Wolak and Lilly Callahan have been named to the IWLCA’s West/Midwest All-Region Team as announced by the association Thursday. The four Irish women add to their resume, having all been named to All-American teams by USA Lacrosse Magazine earlier this week.
The attacking duo in Ahern and Wolak, joined by Choma in the midfield, all highlight the First Team honors while Lilly Callahan’s impressive season as one of the nation’s top goalkeepers earns her Second Team recognition.
The team’s leader in points, Wolak’s 45 goals and 44 assists ranks her among the top in the country in numerous categories. An Inside Lacrosse/ILWomen Midseason All-American and First Team All-ACC honoree, the senior leads the charge on one of the nation’s top scoring offenses that averages 15.47 goals per game. She ranks in the top-10 in assists (44) and points per game (4.94), meanwhile her point total is fifth-best nationally. Wolak boasts hat trick performances in 10 outings this season and has recorded at least five points in 12 of her 18 games played. In the ACC Tournament to round out their April slate, Wolak tallied six points off four goals and two assists to help the Irish clinch a spot in the semifinals.
One of two Irish women named Tewaaraton Nominees late in the season, Choma’s team-best 58 goals earned her a First Team All-Region nod. The senior adds to her career-season, having previously been named an Inside Lacrosse/ILWomen Midseason All-American and First Team All-ACC for her contributions in the midfield. Her 58 goals ranks 10th nationally while her 3.29 goals per game average is fourth in the ACC. In 18 games played this season, Choma boasts 13 hat tricks and set a career-high eight goals in the team’s win over Virginia Tech partway through the season. In all but one game this season, Choma has found the back of the cage multiple times and has 71 total points on the year, averaging 3.94 points per game.
Ahern rounds out the First Team honorees as the 2023 Tewaaraton Nominee boasts 76 points on the year off 56 goals and 20 assists. Also an Inside Lacrosse/ILWomen All-American and First Team All-ACC, Ahern picked up numerous weekly conference and national honors over the course of the season. Her scoring ability has lifted the Irish to one of the nation’s best scoring offenses and is one of the country’s best goal-scorers off the free position, averaging 1.00 goals from the eight-meter line per game. She has 11 games with three or more goals and set a career-best six goals three times this season. Having started all 18 games for the Irish this season, Ahern has five games with at least five goals.
Named to the West/Midwest Second Team for the first time in her career, Callahan has recorded every decision for the Irish in 2023. The junior goalkeeper was previously named Second Team All-ACC and most recently picked up ACC All-Tournament team honors following her 18 saves over two games in the conference tournament. In 18 games this season, Callahan has stopped 10+ goals on three occasions and has held nine opponents to single digit scoring as the backstop to one of the nation’s best scoring defenses. Callahan ranks fifth nationally in goals against average (8.38) and leads all ACC goalkeepers in the category. Her .486 save percentage is also among the nation’s best and is second among ACC foes.
The four All-Region honorees matches that of the past two seasons while Choma has earned First Team recognition three-straight years. This is also the third time Ahern has been named to an All-Region team, having previously been named First Team in 2022 and Second Team in 2021.