STORRS, Conn.- UConn women's lacrosse sophomore defender Abby Beran (Wading River, N.Y.) has been named 2025 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, the conference announced on Wednesday. Beran is the third Husky to win the award in the program's history, following Cassie Ekstrom (2018) and Lauren Kwasnowski (2015). Beran and five other Huskies were selected to the all- BIG EAST First and Second teams.

After a standout freshman season that saw her earn All-BIG EAST First Team and BIG EAST All-Tournament Team honors, Beran's sophomore campaign saw her lead he Huskies on the defensive end with 47 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers, ranking first and second in the conference, respectively. The sophomore defender also ranks eighth in the conference in draw controls, chipping in 52 on the season. Beran poured in a career-high six ground balls in UConn's win over Columbia on March 19^th. Beran maintained consistency throughout the season, winning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors twice down the stretch for the Huskies on April 7^th and April 28^th. The sophomore defender anchored the Husky defense in the program's first ever win over Denver on April 6^th with four ground balls, three caused turnovers, and five draw controls. In UConn's must-win regular season finale against Georgetown on April 26^th, Beran contribute three ground balls and four caused turnovers. Beran's 30 caused turnovers rank sixth-most in a single season in program history.

Beran is joined on the All-BIG EAST First Team by senior defender Riley Daly (Ipswich, Mass.) and Rayea Davis (Henrietta, N.Y.). The defensive duo of Beran and Daly were both unanimous selections on the First Team. Daly makes the First Team for the second consecutive season after a strong final season for the Huskies. The senior captain finished the regular season leading the Huskies with 98 draw controls, ranking fifth in the conference. Daly secured Defensive Player of the Week on February 10^th after lifting UConn to a overtime win over Drexel at home, with a game-high 11 draw controls. The senior captain also secured Defensive Player of the Week honors on February 24^th after five draw controls and three ground balls in UConn's victory over Manhattan. Daly chipped in a career-high 13 draw controls in UConn's dominant win over Xavier on April 19^th.

Rayea Davis completes the trifecta of Huskies on the First Team, earning all-BIG EAST First Team recognition for the second straight season after taking home unanimous recognition in 2024. Davis orchestrated the attack for the Huskies, finishing the season with a team-high 47 goals and 70 points. Davis finished second in the conference with 4.38 points per game, and fifth with 2.94 goals per game. Davis exploded for a career-high 9 points in a win over Hofstra on March 29^th, scoring three goals and dishing out six assists. In a win over Fairfield on February 12^th, the Husky point leader found the back of the net for a career-high six times. The redshirt junior notched at least 6 points in five games this season, leading the Huskies to a conference-high 22 points per game.

In addition to the trio of First Team Selections, the Huskies received three selections to the all-BIG EAST Second Team as well.  In her second and final season in Storrs, UConn attacker Jenna Giardina (South Salem, N.Y.) secured second team honors. Giardina has been a key facilitator for the UConn offense, leading the team with 33 assists. The graduate transfer ranks second in the conference with 2.00 assists/game, and ninth in the conference with 3.50 points/game. Giardina notched at least two points in every game this season, highlighted by two-six point performances in wins over Hofstra and Denver. In UConn's regular season finale win over Georgetown, Giardina eclipsed 150 career points.

Meghan Lane (Wilton, Conn.) and Tori Cini (Syosset, N.Y.) join Giardina on the second team in their first and final season with the Huskies. Lane joined the Huskies after a decorated career at Hamilton College, earning IWLCA All-American Honors three times, and IWLCA All-Region four times. This season, Lane had an immediate impact on the Huskies, ranking second on the team in draw controls (61), second in ground balls (34), and third in caused turnovers (20). Lane's seven ground ball showing against Harvard on February 26^th were the most in a single game by any UConn player this season. Lane had a season-high 12 draw controls in a win over Hofstra on March 29^th. In UConn's regular season finale, Lane surpassed 300 draw controls for her career.

Cini secures second team recognition after starting all sixteen games in goal for the Huskies. Cini made 103 saves on the season at a save percentage at a clip of .425, ranking third and fifth in the conference. Cini's save percentage and goals allowed per game (11.20) rank first in the conference among goalkeepers that started all their team's games. The graduate transfer from Holy Cross notched double-digit save marks in three games for the Huskies, including an 11 save performance in a win-and-in game against Georgetown on April 26^th. Cini anchored the UConn defense to the second best scoring defense in the conference, and 25^th in the nation at 10.00 goals per game.

In her 15 year-tenure at the helm of UConn women's lacrosse, Head Coach Katie Woods now has coached 12 BIG EAST Players of the Year and 28 All-BIG EAST First Team Selections.

Woods and the Huskies will kick off their postseason run tomorrow in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinal at 4:00pm against host Villanova University at Villanova Stadium. The winner of the semifinal will take on the victor of the first semifinal matchup between Georgetown and Denver.