CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (May 2, 2015) - On Friday, LIU Post women's lacrosse senior defender Emily Hanifan (Hicksville, N.Y.) was named the East Coast Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year, it was announced by the league.

Hanifan, along with fellow All-ECC selections Kali Maxwell (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Brittany Smith (Dix Hills, N.Y.), anchored a defensive unit that limited opponents to the fewest goals against in the league (100).

Hanifan and Maxwell, who were both named to the All-ECC first-team, have combined to accumulate 46 ground balls and cause 33 turnovers in 2015. Meanwhile, Smith, an All-ECC second-team honoree, was lauded as an all-conference selection for the first time in her collegiate career. She has forced the seventh-most turnovers in the league with 18.

Hanifan and Maxwell were joined on the All-ECC first-team by red-shirt sophomore attacker Emily Delaney (Long Valley, N.J.) and senior midfielder Jenna Pierro (Holbrook, N.Y.).

Delaney and Pierro are LIU Post's' top and second-leading scorers, boasting 83 (34 G, 49 A) and 72 points (52 G, 20 A), respectively. Delaney spearheads the conference in assists and ranks second in points. Pierro has the most ground balls (49) in the ECC, and sits in the Top-10 in the league in seven other statistical categories.

Sophomore attackers Connor Bird (Syosset, N.Y.) and Stefani Vagelatos (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y.) and freshman goalie Olivia Kirk (Farmingdale, N.Y.) accompanied Smith on the All-ECC second-team. In addition to tallying 47 points (22 G, 23 A) on the season, Bird has been the key draw control specialist for the Pioneers. She has won a conference-best 79 draws in 18 games.

Vagelatos has scored the second-most goals for the green and gold in 2015 with 41, which are tied for 10th-most in the ECC. Her 56 points rank 10th in the league, as well.

Between the pipes, Kirk, a three-time ECC Goalkeeper of the Week selection, sports a 12-4 record with a conference-leading 6.05 goals-against average (3rd - Division II) and .538 save percentage (5th - Division II).

For the complete release on the 2015 All-ECC Women's Lacrosse Team, please click here.