PRINCETON, N.J. -- Senior captains Hilary Hoover (first team) and Bridget Babcock (second team) were named to the All-Ivy League Women's Lacrosse teams in the conference's All-Ivy and major awards release on Tuesday afternoon. In addition to Hoover and Babcock, senior defender Grace Faircloth and junior attacker Josie Vogel were named honorable mention selections and senior Annie Thomas earned an Academic All-Ivy nod.
Hoover's first team selection is the first for a Big Red defender since Mary Kate Bonanni earned the honor in 2019 and her second All-Ivy distinction after earning second team in 2022. The senior captain put together a solid final season in Carnelian and white after missing all last season due to injury. Starting all 15 games, Hoover logged the second-most ground balls (19) and the third-highest draw controls (31). Her star game of the season came in a 15-13 win over Colgate on March 26. With the Big Red down by one halfway through the fourth quarter, the senior grabbed a key draw control victory that immediately led to the game-tying goal against the Raiders. Cornell would end up scoring the game-winner minutes later to escape Hamilton with the win. Hoover finished the game with four draw control wins, two caused turnovers and two ground balls. The Rye, N.Y. product had 12 ground balls and nine draw control victories in seven Ivy League games. She also earned her first career assist in the season opener against California and her first career goal against Jacksonville after grabbing a failed clearing attempt and running nearly three-quarters of the field to find the net.
Babcock's second team honor is the first All-Ivy distinction for the New Hampshire product in her Big Red career. She is also the first sole midfielder to earn second team honors since Ellie Walsh in 2019. A full 60-minute player, Babcock had the best statistical season of her Cornell career. Over 13 games, the senior finished third on the team with 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists). But the senior made her bread and butter all over the field, leading the team with 29 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers while securing 16 draw controls. Babcock's 19 caused turnovers are the most by a Big Red player since Joey Coffy had 22 in 2018. Her per-game averages in ground balls (2.23) and caused turnovers (1.46) also rank in the top ten in the conference. Babcock had multiple highlight games throughout the 2024 season. She opened the season campaign by earning Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week honors for her performance against California, which included three points (two goals, one assist), three caused turnovers, and two ground balls. She also excelled in the Big Red's Ivy opener against Dartmouth with a team-high four points (two goals, two assists) and five ground balls and led a late charge with a fourth-quarter hat trick against Penn State.
A second team All-Ivy selection from a season ago, Faircloth was a reliable defender for the Big Red in 2024. The Denver product scooped up 15 ground balls and had eight caused turnovers over 15 games, which were both top five on the team. Faircloth's top game came against No. 3 ranked Syracuse, leading the team with four ground balls and two caused turnovers. The senior captain also was a mainstay in the Big Red lineup since joining the team in 2022, starting 46 consecutive games.
Vogel was a problem for opposing defenses during the season, leading the Big Red in goals (35) and points (47) over 15 games played, which were all starts. The junior also led Cornell's offense with nine free position goals on 14 attempts and had a career-high five caused turnovers. Vogel's outstanding play continued throughout the season with multi-point performances in 12 of 15 games and a team-high six hat tricks. Finishing the regular season seventh in the conference in shots per game (5.87), Vogel excelled in Ivy play with 13 goals and eight assists. Her best statistical game came in the Big Red's season finale against Brown with five goals and three assists. It was the most points a Big Red player has had in a game since Caroline Allen had eight in Cornell's season opener against Villanova in 2019. Vogel also became the 29th player in program history to record 100 or more career points and will have one more season to add to the 108 she has now.
Thomas has been the queen of the draw circle during her Big Red career. The senior led Cornell in draw controls during all four seasons, including a career-high 73 in 2022. This season, Thomas had 56 draw controls and became the first draw taker to have 200 or more wins in program history against Princeton. She finishes her career with 233 draw control victories, 74 more than the next closest player in Sarah Hefner. Thomas also had career highs in ground balls (18) and caused turnovers (21) during her final season with the Big Red. The Bernardsville, N.J. native is a biological sciences major with an impressive 3.976 cumulative grade point average and is a member of the 400 Club, the Red Key Athlete Honor Society, and has been a Morgan's Message Ambassador since Fall 2021.
With Hoover's selection, Cornell has 47 first team All-Ivy selections under Jenny Graap. A Big Red player has also earned first team honors in all but one season since Graap took over as head coach in 1997.
