BUENA VISTA, Va. - Ahead of this weekend's USA South tournament opener, the USA South released its postseason awards for the 2026 women's lacrosse season.

Southern Virginia University is represented by two student-athletes on the First Team All-Conference, as well as one major individual award.

Ellie Patterson, a senior midfielder from Meridian, Idaho, becomes the first-ever Knight to be named the conference Defensive Player of the Year. She led the league in caused turnovers with 41 against USA South opponents and 53 total. 

Her numbers don't just sit at the top of the conference, but near the top of all of Division lll. Patterson's 4.08 caused turnovers per game are fourth most in the country. She also leads the team's attack with 45 goals and 65 points.

Joining Patterson on the First Team is a defender out of Rockville, Maryland, Aubrey Reynolds. Reynolds has made significant strides in her sophomore campaign, causing a career-best 18 turnovers and securing 26 draw controls.

She's been a key cog in a defense that has held opponents to less than five goals five times this season. During a mid-season victory over Pfeiffer, Southern Virginia's first round opponent this weekend, Reynolds delivered one of her best performances of the season with five caused turnovers and four ground balls.

Sydney Knight represents Southern Virginia on the All-Sportsmanship team. Knight, a freshman attacker, has scored 13 times while also producing good results defensively, causing 10 turnovers.

Looking Ahead

This Saturday, Southern Virginia will battle with Pfeiffer in the first round of the USA South tournament in the 4-5 seed matchup. The opening draw is set for 11:00 AM in Knight Stadium.

For the most up-to-date information and details on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_wlax on Instagram.