Lackey Takes Home Top Rookie Honor, Joined by Four Dukes on All-State Team

James Madison freshman Ginny Lackey was named the Virginia Sports Information Directors Women's Soccer University Division Rookie of the Year and is joined by four teammates on the All-State First and Second Teams, as announced by the organization Tuesday afternoon.

Lackey is the second VaSID Rookie of the Year recipient in program history and represents the first VaSID major award winner since Alexandra Blom was named Defensive Player of the Year after the 2022 season. Joining Lackey on the First Team are redshirt senior Lexi Vanderlinden and junior Jordan Yang. Seniors Amanda Attanasi and Sophia Verrecchia earned spots on the second team.

The five All-State selections are the most JMU has garnered in a season.

The VaSID accolades are the most recent honors that Lackey has been awarded following the 2024 campaign. After tallying 12 goals and ten assists for 34 points on the season, Lackey became the first player in JMU history and second in the Sun Belt since 2016 to win both Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season, while grabbing First Team All-Sun Belt and All-Tournament Team accolades. In a single season at JMU, she ranks tied for fifth in points, tied for eighth in assists and tied for ninth in goals. She became the eighth Duke to record double-digit assists in a season and recorded the 13th 30-point season in program history. Lackey is also the first Duke to record at least ten goals and assists in a season since Julie Reule logged 10 assists and 13 goals in 1994.

Starting in the midfield all season, Vanderlinden led the league in assists (11) and assist per game (0.524). It is her second career All-state honor, following nods to the Sun Belt First Team All-Conference and United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Second Team. The 11 assists in her final season bring her career total to 26 which is seventh in a JMU career. The redshirt senior also scored a pair of goals during the season, as she tallied 15 points.

A first time All-State selection, Yang anchored a defense that recorded six shutouts during the season, including three in a span of four matches during conference play. The defender aided on the offensive side of the ball as well, recording six assists. The six assists were tied for the third most on the team and fourth most in Sun Belt action at .5/game.

A second time All-State selection, Attanasi played and started in every match. The forward was lethal at times on the pitch, as she racked up eight of her ten goals for the season in conference play. Her ten goals are tied for the fourth most in the Sun Belt and she added three assists during the year to rank her tied for fifth in the league in points with 23. She ended the regular season by scoring a goal in four consecutive matches, beginning the streak with her second career brace. In a JMU career, the forward finished tied for tenth in goals (28) and 11th in points (69).
Sophia Verrecchia played and started in every match, grabbing her first All-State selection along with Yang. She tallied six goals and three assists on the season, putting 13 out of her 27 total shots on goal. At the conclusion of the Sun Belt Tournament, she was named to the All-Tournament Team.

JMU finished the 2024 campaign at 12-4-5, having won the Sun Belt regular season and tournament championship for the first time in program history and making its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance.

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