STORRS, CT — UConn sophomore defender Abby Beran has been named the 2025 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday, becoming the third player in program history to receive the honor.
Beran led the Huskies defensively throughout the season, recording 47 ground balls and 30 caused turnovers, the most and second-most in the BIG EAST, respectively.
She also contributed 52 draw controls, placing her eighth in the conference. Her season featured two Defensive Player of the Week selections — April 7 and April 28 — and standout efforts in critical wins.
In UConn’s first-ever victory over Denver on April 6, Beran posted four ground balls, three caused turnovers, and five draw controls.
She followed up with three ground balls and four caused turnovers in a must-win finale against Georgetown on April 26.
Beran now joins Cassie Ekstrom (2018) and Lauren Kwasnowski (2015) as UConn’s only recipients of the conference’s top defensive honor. Her 30 caused turnovers rank sixth in a single season in program history.
Beran was one of three Huskies named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, alongside senior defender Riley Daly and redshirt junior attacker Rayea Davis. Beran and Daly were unanimous selections.
Daly, the team’s draw control leader, finished the season with 98 draw controls, fifth-most in the league.
She twice earned Defensive Player of the Week — February 10, after logging 11 draw controls in an overtime win over Drexel, and again on February 24 with five draw controls and three ground balls against Manhattan.
She notched a career-high 13 draw controls against Xavier on April 19.
Davis, a returning First Team honoree, paced the UConn offense with 47 goals and 70 total points, ranking second in the conference with 4.38 points per game.
She delivered a nine-point game versus Hofstra on March 29 (three goals, six assists) and a six-goal performance against Fairfield on February 12.
UConn also placed three players on the All-BIG EAST Second Team: attacker Jenna Giardina, midfielder Meghan Lane, and goalkeeper Tori Cini.
Giardina, a graduate transfer, led the team with 33 assists and ranked second in the BIG EAST in assists per game (2.00). She recorded two six-point games and hit the 150 career point mark during UConn’s finale against Georgetown.
Lane, in her lone season with the Huskies, posted 61 draw controls, 34 ground balls, and 20 caused turnovers. Her seven ground balls against Harvard on February 26 marked a season-high for any UConn player, and she tallied 12 draw controls against Hofstra.
Cini started all 16 games in net, finishing with 103 saves and a .425 save percentage, third-best in the league. Her 11-save effort in the regular season finale helped secure UConn’s tournament berth.
Cini led all BIG EAST goalies who started every game in goals allowed per game (11.20) and save percentage. UConn’s defense ended the regular season second in the conference and 25th nationally in scoring defense (10.00 goals per game).
Under Head Coach Katie Woods, now in her 15th season, UConn has produced 12 BIG EAST Players of the Year and 28 First Team selections.
The Huskies will open their BIG EAST Tournament campaign on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. against Villanova at Villanova Stadium. The winner advances to face either Georgetown or Denver in the final.
