Melissa Hawkins - Lacrosse - Vanderbilt University Athletics

#13 Melissa Hawkins Season 2021-22

Defense

Class Fifth Year
Hometown Bridgewater, N.J.
High School Bridgewater-Raritan Regional
Major Masters in Special Education

Honors
• Two-time All-AAC first team (2021, 2022)
• 2022 AAC All-Tournament
• AAC Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 21)
• 2022 preseason All-AAC
• Four-time AAC All-Academic (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
• Three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll (2020, 2021, 2022)
• 2021-22 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll
• 2021 James A. Robins Award
• 2019 All-AAC second team
• 2017-18 SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll
• AAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 8, 2021)
• AAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 19, 2019)
• BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (March 20, 2018)

As a Fifth-Year Senior (2022)
• Selected to 2022 IWLCA Senior All-Star game with teammate Gabby Fornia
• AAC All-Tournament
• Unanimous first-team All-AAC
• Finished career with 131 caused turnovers to rank second in program history
• Fifth-most career ground balls (145) among Commodores all-time
• Led team with 31 caused turnovers
• Fourth on team with 27 ground balls
• Three caused turnovers with a pair of ground balls at Colorado (March 4)
• Three caused turnovers in road win at Elon (Feb. 25)
• AAC Defensive Player of the Week (Feb. 21)
• Caused four turnovers and totaled four ground balls in win vs. #12 Notre Dame
• Three caused turnovers in season-opening win over Liberty (Feb. 12)
• 2022 preseason All-AAC

As a Senior (2021) – Game-by-Game Statistics
• AAC All-Academic
• SEC Academic Honor Roll
• All-AAC first team – Unanimous selection
• AAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 8, 2021)
• Started in all 19 games
• Paced the Commodores with 43 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers
• Caused a season-high four turnovers in the win over Mercer (March 3)
• Claimed a season-high seven ground balls in the home finale against Temple (April 25)
• Won Vanderbilt University’s James A. Robins award – given to a student-athlete who exemplifies selfless devotion to learning, to honor, to participate in sports and service to youth and Vanderbilt.

As a Junior (2020) – Game-by-Game Statistics
• AAC All-Academic
• SEC Academic Honor Roll
• Started all nine games
• Second on the team with 14 caused turnovers
• Also finished with 14 ground balls
• Season-high five caused turnovers in win at Wagner (Feb. 9)
• Season-best three ground balls in addition to two caused turnovers in win at Kennesaw State (Feb. 19)
• Also had three ground balls and three caused turnovers against No. 2 Notre Dame (March 11)
• Season canceled after nine games due to coronavirus outbreak

As a Sophomore (2019) – Game-by-Game Statistics
• AAC second team
• AAC All-Academic team
• Started all 16 games for the Commodores start the first 23 games of her Vanderbilt career
• Led the Commodores with 32 caused turnovers
• Second on the team with 30 ground balls
• Finished 16th in the country in caused turnovers per game with 2.07 and led the AAC with that mark
• AAC Defensive Player of the Week (March 19)

As a Freshman (2018)
• Started all 17 games for the Commodores as a freshman midfielder, consistently guarding opponents’ top attackers
• Finished the season with four assists, 31 ground balls and a team-high 24 caused turnovers
• Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week (March 20)

The Hawkins File
• Four-year starter for Alyssa Dragon-Frazier at Bridgewater-Raritan Regional High School
• Won the New Jersey Tournament of Champions for the first time in school history her senior year
• Bridgewater-Raritan was named NJ.com 2017 Team of the Year
• Three-time Somerset County Champion, Group IV and Sectional Champion in 2017
• Four-time first team All-Skylands Conference, two-time first team All-Group 4, second team All-State senior year and third team All-State junior year
• Daughter to Karen Hawkins
• Has on older brother, Russell
• Dad played baseball at Elon University