Three Lions earned yearly awards from the ECAC and seven players earned all-conference accolades, the league announced today. Senior defender Nicole Johnston was named the ECAC Defender of the Year. Skylar Starbeck earned ECAC co-Goalkeeper of the Year plaudits. Lindenwood head coach Sarah Johnson is the 2017 ECAC Coach of the Year.

In addition to Johnston, defender Caro Theunisz, forward Bridget Hoogendijk and midfielder Greta Banholzer earned first-team all-conference accolades. Starbeck, forward Renee Duffy and midfielder Noor Fons were named to the second team.

Banholzer has been one of the top midfielders in the ECAC this season. The senior has nine goals and a team-leading seven assists this year. Banholzer is currently tied for the Lindenwood all-time goals lead with 36 career goals scored.

Duffy is fifth on the team with nine points (2G, 5A). Her five assists are tied for third on the team. At New Haven on Oct. 23, Duffy tallied two assists, a career high for the freshman.

Fons has played in all 17 games for Lindenwood this season, recording three goals and three assists. She is tied for fifth on the team with nine points this season.

Hoogendijk has been a dominant forward in the ECAC. She has 12 goals this year (0.71 per game, 14^th in the NCAA), the third-most for a single season in Lindenwood history.

Johnston has been a stout defender for the Lions all season. She leads a defense that has recorded five shutouts this season and holds opponents to just 9.5 shots per game (Lindenwood records 19.8 shots per game). Johnston has been selected for the 2017 Victory Sports Tours/NFHCA Division II Senior Game.

Starbeck is having one of the best seasons in all of NCAA Division II. The junior goalie leads the ECAC and is fourth in the ECAC with a 0.97 goals against average. Additionally, Starbeck leads the league and is sixth nationally with a .786 save percentage. No Lindenwood goalie has ever finished a season with a sub-1.00 GAA.

Theunisz joins Johnson on the ECAC first team. She has two goals and three assists this season, appearing in all 17 games.

Johnson is in her seventh season as the head coach of the Lions. Last season, she led Lindenwood to its first-ever ECAC Tournament Championship. This season, the Lions have made their way into the Penn Monto/NFHCA National poll three times and are currently ranked the No. 9 team in the country.

The Lions are the No. 2 seed in this weekend's ECAC tournament. Lindenwood opens the tournament with a 4 p.m. game against third-seeded Bellarmine on Friday, Nov. 3. The tournament continues on Sunday, with a consolation final at 10:30 a.m. and the championship match at 1:30 p.m.