Eastern Michigan Athletics
Blackwell & Porter Earn MAC Weekly Lacrosse Honors
3/4/2025 2:30:00 PM | Lacrosse
Blackwell (offense) and Porter (goalkeeper) led EMU to a 3-0 week
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – Following a historic week of play, two members of the Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team were recognized for weekly honors by the Mid-American Conference as Mackenzie Blackwell was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week and Maddie Porter was tabbed the MAC Goalkeeper of the Week, the MAC announced March 4. The duo was instrumental in guiding the Eagles to their first three-game winning streak in program history.
Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) led the Eagles to their first three-game winning streak in program history as she tallied 11 goals, including her 100th career goal, the first to do so in program history. Blackwell, who added eight ground balls, 12 draw controls, and one caused turnover on the week, opened play with four goals at Presbyterian College to bring her career total to 99 while helping the Eagles to 19 goals, the most the team has scored in a single game in program history, before scoring five at Gardner-Webb University to crack the century mark. She finished the week with two goals against Canisius University to help EMU to its third consecutive win. For the season, she ranks second in the MAC and 11th nationally with 3.6 goals per game, second in the MAC with 4.2 points per game, and fifth with 4.4 draw controls.
Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) made 30 saves and saved more than half the shots she faced as she helped the Eagles to three wins and the program's first three-game winning streak in program history. Porter opened the week with 14 saves against Presbyterian while adding three ground balls before recording seven saves, four ground balls, and once caused turnover while limiting Gardner-Webb to five goals in a 16-6 win, the second-fewest goals allowed in a game in program history. In the finale, she recorded nine saves in the 12-10 win over Canisius, including three each in the third and fourth quarters to close out the win. For the season, she leads the MAC in ground balls (4.6), second in saves percentage (.509), and third in saves per game (11.8), which rank fourth, fifth, and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA.
While the awards earned are the first of the year for any member of the program, they are not the first earned by either player. Blackwell has now been named the offensive player of the week three times with one earned in each of her three seasons with the Eagles (March 28, 2023, March 26, 2024, and March 4, 2025). Porter garnered her second career award after earning the defensive honor last year (April 9, 2024). The 2025 season marks the first year a separate goalkeeper weekly honor is being awarded.
As a team, the Eagles have won three consecutive games for the first time in program history with all three victories earned last week. The Eagles opened the week with a 19-10 victory at Presbyterian, Feb. 25, before posting a 16-6 win at Gardner-Webb two days later (Feb. 27). The week ended at home with a 12-10 win over Canisius (March 1). Prior to the week, EMU had twice posted two-game winning streaks but had not posted three in a row until now.
Eastern is set to play twice this week with both games coming on the road. The Eagles open the week Friday, March 7, with a 3 p.m. game at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., with the game being aired live on FloSports. The week ends Sunday, March 9, with a trip to the University of Cincinnati for a 12 p.m. game that will be aired live on ESPN+.
Follow Us
For updates on EMU Lacrosse, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, @EMU_Lacrosse, and Twitter, @EMU_Lacrosse.
MAC Players of the Week • March 4, 2025
Offense: Mackenzie Blackwell (EMU)
Defense: Katie Baumer (Akron)
Goalkeeper: Maddie Porter (EMU)
2025 MAC Weekly Honors Earned by EMU
Mackenzie Blackwell • Offense (March 4)
Maddie Porter • Goalkeeper (March 4)
Blackwell (North Beach, Md./Northern) led the Eagles to their first three-game winning streak in program history as she tallied 11 goals, including her 100th career goal, the first to do so in program history. Blackwell, who added eight ground balls, 12 draw controls, and one caused turnover on the week, opened play with four goals at Presbyterian College to bring her career total to 99 while helping the Eagles to 19 goals, the most the team has scored in a single game in program history, before scoring five at Gardner-Webb University to crack the century mark. She finished the week with two goals against Canisius University to help EMU to its third consecutive win. For the season, she ranks second in the MAC and 11th nationally with 3.6 goals per game, second in the MAC with 4.2 points per game, and fifth with 4.4 draw controls.
Porter (Montrose, N.Y./Hendrick Hudson) made 30 saves and saved more than half the shots she faced as she helped the Eagles to three wins and the program's first three-game winning streak in program history. Porter opened the week with 14 saves against Presbyterian while adding three ground balls before recording seven saves, four ground balls, and once caused turnover while limiting Gardner-Webb to five goals in a 16-6 win, the second-fewest goals allowed in a game in program history. In the finale, she recorded nine saves in the 12-10 win over Canisius, including three each in the third and fourth quarters to close out the win. For the season, she leads the MAC in ground balls (4.6), second in saves percentage (.509), and third in saves per game (11.8), which rank fourth, fifth, and fifth, respectively, in the NCAA.
While the awards earned are the first of the year for any member of the program, they are not the first earned by either player. Blackwell has now been named the offensive player of the week three times with one earned in each of her three seasons with the Eagles (March 28, 2023, March 26, 2024, and March 4, 2025). Porter garnered her second career award after earning the defensive honor last year (April 9, 2024). The 2025 season marks the first year a separate goalkeeper weekly honor is being awarded.
As a team, the Eagles have won three consecutive games for the first time in program history with all three victories earned last week. The Eagles opened the week with a 19-10 victory at Presbyterian, Feb. 25, before posting a 16-6 win at Gardner-Webb two days later (Feb. 27). The week ended at home with a 12-10 win over Canisius (March 1). Prior to the week, EMU had twice posted two-game winning streaks but had not posted three in a row until now.
Eastern is set to play twice this week with both games coming on the road. The Eagles open the week Friday, March 7, with a 3 p.m. game at Butler University in Indianapolis, Ind., with the game being aired live on FloSports. The week ends Sunday, March 9, with a trip to the University of Cincinnati for a 12 p.m. game that will be aired live on ESPN+.
Follow Us
For updates on EMU Lacrosse, continue to check EMUEagles.com or follow the team on Instagram, @EMU_Lacrosse, and Twitter, @EMU_Lacrosse.
MAC Players of the Week • March 4, 2025
Offense: Mackenzie Blackwell (EMU)
Defense: Katie Baumer (Akron)
Goalkeeper: Maddie Porter (EMU)
2025 MAC Weekly Honors Earned by EMU
Mackenzie Blackwell • Offense (March 4)
Maddie Porter • Goalkeeper (March 4)
Players Mentioned
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