Greenville, S.C. – Furman earned the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year, while nine players garnered All-SoCon accolades, on Tuesday afternoon as the league announced its women's lacrosse yearly awards.

Hannah Demis was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Year, Avery Whitehead the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year and Meagan Beal the SoCon Freshman of the Year. Paladin head coach Rachel Whitten garnered SoCon Coach of the Year honors.

Demis and Whitehead also received First Team All-SoCon recognition along with Kyra LaMotte, Hannah Dintino, Avery McIlwaine and Rachel Sindler. Beal was joined on Second Team All-SoCon by Regan Lingo and Meghan Deehan. Beal and Dintino were both named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.

The duo of Demis and Whitehead become the first players in school history to be named league Players of the Year, and Whitten earns her first career Coach of the Year award. Beal is the second player in program history to be selected league Freshman of the Year, joining Britt Douglass who was named the 2015 ASUN Freshman of the Year.

Whitten led Furman to its second SoCon Regular Season Championship in program history, and first outright league title, in 2021 after posting a league-best 11-4 overall record and unbeaten 4-0 SoCon mark. The 11 wins are tied for third-most in a season in program history and is one away from tying the school record of 12 set twice in 2016 and 2017. The Paladins posted a program-best eight-game winning streak which included four straight victories over SoCon opponents. Furman led the conference this season in goals per game, points per game, shots per game, shots on goal per game and ground balls per game.

A native Roswell, Ga., Demis leads the SoCon this season in assists per game and points per game. She has compiled a team-leading 68 points on 46 assists, a single-season record, and 22 goals. Her 68 points are tied for second-most in a season in school history. Demis currently ranks third nationally in assists, fifth in assists per game and 19^th in points. Demis broke the school's career assists record this season and enters the SoCon Women's Lacrosse Championship with 119. She recorded a career-high eight points in the Paladins' 18-6 victory over Gardner-Webb on March 4. Demis, a Preseason All-SoCon selection, was named SoCon Offensive Player of the Month for March.

Whitehead, a native of Memphis, Tenn., was a Preseason All-SoCon selection this year and has been named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week twice. She finished the regular season with 19 ground balls, and ranked second on the team with 32 draws and 15 caused turnovers. Whitehead tied her career-highs of four ground balls against Winthrop on March 23 and three caused turnovers versus Stetson on April 18. She started in all 14 games she appeared in and was part of a Paladin defense that held opponents to six goals or less four times. Whitehead is fifth in the conference with 1.14 caused turnovers per game.

A Brewster, N.Y. native, Beal has played in all 15 games this season, with 12 starts, and was fourth on the team with 38 points on 35 goals and three assists. She led the SoCon with four game-winning goals, while contributing 22 ground balls, nine draws and seven caused turnovers. Beal set new career-highs in points, goals, shots, ground balls and draws. She compiled a career-best six points on five goals, also a career-high, and one assist on April 3 in a 13-10 win over Coastal Carolina. Beal added a career-high six ground balls at Wofford on April 21 and won three draws against Gardner-Webb on March 4.

Furman, the No. 1 seed in this week's SoCon Women's Lacrosse Championship, takes on fourth-seeded Wofford at 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon from Mercer's Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga.

2021 Southern Conference Women's Lacrosse Postseason Awards
Offensive Player of the Year
Hannah Demis, Sr., A, Furman

Defensive Player of the Year
Avery Whitehead, D, Furman

Freshman of the Year
Meagan Beal, M, Furman

Coach of the Year
Rachel Whitten, Furman

All-Southern Conference First Team
A – Samantha Courtemanche, Gr., Coastal Carolina
A – Hannah Demis, Sr., Furman
A – Kyra LaMotte, Sr., Furman
A – Hailey Rhatigan, Jr., Mercer
A – Elisabeth Ralph, Jr., Wofford
M – Hannah Dintino, So., Furman
M – Avery McIlwaine, Fr., Furman
M – Lily Morin, Gr., Mercer
D – Emily D'Orsaneo, Gr., Coastal Carolina
D – Anya McSorly, R-Sr., Coastal Carolina
D – Rachel Sindler. Sr., Furman
D – Avery Whitehead, Sr., Furman
D – Emma Pizzo, Jr., Mercer
GK – Claire Martell, R-Fr., Coastal Carolina

All-Southern Conference Second Team
A – Lauren Cremen, R-So., Coastal Carolina
A – Kayla Downey, R-Fr., Coastal Carolina
A – Meagan Beal, So., Furman
A – Maddi Koury, Fr., Mercer
A – Ally Furnari, Jr., Wofford
M – Abbey Buchanan, Gr. Coastal Carolina
M – Avery Drouin, Sr., Coastal Carolina
M – Emma Gentile, So., Wofford
M – Tamrin Swann, Sr., Delaware State
D – Sarah Trupp, Gr., Coastal Carolina
D – Dachelle Johnson, Sr., Delaware State
D – Regan Lingo, Sr., Furman
D – Sami Van Slyke, Sr., Mercer
D – Hannah Wurzell, Sr., Wofford
GK – Meghan Deehan, So., Furman

Southern Conference All-Freshman Team
A – Kayla Downey, Coastal Carolina
A – Meagan Beal, Furman
A – Maddi Koury, Mercer
M – Avery Snyder, Coastal Carolina
M – Hannah Dintino, Furman
M – Chloe Schaeffer, Mercer
M – Emma Gentile, Wofford