4 Tarheel defenders re-sign for 2023 Lacrosse season

Defender Caroline Wakefield is the AU Lacrosse single-game and single-season caused turnover record holder.

In 2022, she tallied 23 caused turnovers in 12 games, including a league-best six caused turnovers against Team Glynn on Aug. 13. Wakefield concluded her second year with a league-record 36 caused turnovers.

Wakefield finished in the top half of the leaderboard rankings in both of her AU seasons. She tied for sixth with 20 ground balls in 2022, and in 2021 she tied for second with 34 on the year.

Watch your stick around Caroline Wakefield 😅#AULax | #BeUnlimited pic.twitter.com/gEqAEcoXCF

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) January 31, 2023

Kayla Wood enters her third year with the league after taking it by storm as a rookie in the inaugural season. She finished with 1,561 leaderboard points ranking sixth overall. She recorded seven games with 100 or more points and was one of three players to serve as a captain three times.

In 2022, she appeared in nine games and missed Week Three due to an injury.

The next nomination is not a goalie… but @kwooood 👀

This save is the true definition of taking one for the team 🥵

Watch ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/NNoXgDJeLh

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) December 29, 2021

Emma Trenchard was a 2022 rookie who quickly made her mark within the league. She was one of four athletes voted to the inaugural AU Lacrosse All-Defensive Team. Trenchard was a starter in all 12 games. She claimed 18 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.

She represented Team USA at World Lacrosse 2022 Women’s World Championship. As a Tarheel, she was named the IWLCA Division I Defender of the Year in her senior season and was a two-time selection as ACC Defender of the Year (2019, 2022).

Emma Trenchard was a THEIF in Game 10 🤯#AULax pic.twitter.com/tIpdvoHMz5

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) November 20, 2022

Second-year defender Kristen ‘Cookie’ Carr finished the 2022 season with 931 leaderboard points after starting in all 12 games. She collected 12 caused turnovers with nine ground balls and set season highs with three ground balls and three caused turnovers to finish Week Two against Team Johansen. She ended the season on a high note with three straight 100-point efforts, including a season-high 115 points against Team Glynn.

Carr has been on Team USA since 2008. She helped USA to a 14-0 record and a pair of gold medals at the 2013 and 2017 World Cups, as well as a gold medal at the World Games in Poland in 2017.

Sneaky with the check 🤫#AULax x @kristen_carr8 pic.twitter.com/UQUAf0nZeM

— Athletes Unlimited (@AUProSports) December 6, 2022

Season 3 of Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse begins on July 20. Tickets are on sale now.

Savanna Collins is the Digital Media Reporter at Athletes Unlimited. You can follow her on Twitter @savannaecollins.