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Each year, we at US Lacrosse Magazine pore over the top coaches, players, games, performances, breakthroughs and moments for the annual “Best of Lacrosse” edition. Naturally, this retrospective tome drops in December. 

But now is the time to be heard.

Over the next two weeks, we’re polling fans on Twitter (@USLacrosseMag) to vote on four finalists in 10 categories: Best Men’s Coach, Best Women’s Coach, Best Men’s Player, Best Women’s Player, Best Game, Best Men’s Performance, Best Women’s Performance, Best Men’s Breakthrough, Best Women’s Breakthrough and Best Moment.

Today, we present our four finalists for Best Women’s Player of 2017: Kylie Ohlmiller (Stony Brook), Zoe Stukenberg (Maryland), Kayla Treanor (Team USA) and Devon Wills (Team USA).

Narrowing down the field meant leaving out some players whose names made headlines.

Olivia Hompe (Princeton) and Megan Whittle (Maryland) lifted Team England back to bronze, scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals against Australia, after standout collegiate seasons as a Tewaaraton finalist and NCAA champion, respectively.

Speaking of the NCAA tournament, Kenzie Kent stunned the Terps, tallying 10 points in the final to be named the Most Outstanding Player.

Plus, Tewaaraton finalist Marie McCool was a staple of the North Carolina program as an all-around midfielder before making an impact with Team USA over the summer alongside several talented Americans who won gold medals.  

Cases could be made for any and all of these standouts. More on this year’s finalists for Best Women’s Player:

Kylie Ohlmiller
Stony Brook

After a historic offensive season, junior attacker Kylie Ohlmiller was named the first Tewaaraton finalist in Stony Brook and America East history with 78 goals and 86 assists. Her 164 points broke an NCAA Division I single-season record, previously held by all-time great Jen Adams, who set a mark of 148 in 2001. Ohlmiller was named the IWLCA Division I Attacker of the Year, as well as the America East Championship Most Outstanding Player, leading the Seawolves to their fifth straight conference crown.

Zoe Stukenberg
Maryland

The accolades for another Maryland standout have accumulated after another championship season. Zoe Stukenberg, the 2017 Tewaaraton winner and sixth straight recipient from College Park, Md., was an all-around player for the Terps as a key midfielder, ranking first in ground balls (48), second in points (84) and draw controls (74) and third in assists (31) and caused turnovers (21). Stukenberg was also named the IWLCA and Big Ten Midfielder of the Year as Maryland captured its second straight conference title.

Kayla Treanor
Team USA

Syracuse graduate Kayla Treanor continued her attacking prowess at the international level, making an impressive debut with Team USA in the 2017 FIL Women’s World Cup in Guildford, England. She led the offense with 24 goals and 19 assists for a team-high 43 points, guiding the Americans to their third straight and eighth overall gold medal. In Team USA’s 18-1 pool play win over England, Treanor set a new U.S. single-game record with 12 points, surpassing Lindsey Munday’s mark of 11 points against Japan in 2009. Treanor’s seven assists against the English also tied the U.S. single-game assists record, also held by Munday, against Ireland in 2009. Treanor was named to the All-World team.

Devon Wills
Team USA

Longtime U.S. veteran Devon Wills retired with an impressive resume, now with three gold medals at the FIL Women's World Cup. Named co-captain, Wills anchored the Team USA defense, which was a mix of rookies and veterans, in an eight-game tournament, not allowing any opponent to score more than eight goals. The U.S. women's national team went undefeated, winning by a combined score of 198-56. Her leadership prevailed, commanding the signature high-pressure defense and extra-man ride, coming out of her crease to double team. Wills finished the World Cup with 24 saves for a 0.42 save percentage and was named to the All-World team. She then switched gears to play defense in the IWGA World Games, showcasing her versality as an athlete and earning her a second gold medal in one summer.