BԪ Women's Lacrosse player has been named the 2025 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A Farmingdale, New York native, Shimborske is the first student-athlete in Mercy women's lacrosse history to earn this prestigious honor.
The award is presented annually to one student athlete in each division — NCAA Division I, II, III, and the NAIA—who exemplifies excellence both on the field and in the classroom. Eligible nominees must be seniors or graduate students in their final year of athletic eligibility, maintain at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA and play a significant role on their team.
“We are so proud of Lindsey Shimborske for being named the IWLCA Division II Scholar-Athlete of the Year,” said Susan L. Parish, Ph.D., M.S.W., president of BԪ. “This is an incredible accomplishment that recognizes not only her exceptional talent on the field, but her unwavering commitment to academic excellence. She exemplifies the very best of what it means to be a student-athlete at BԪ.”
Shimborske, a May 2025 graduate, earned her degree in Health Science with a concentration in Physical Therapy with an impressive 3.99 GPA.Her on-field achievements are remarkable: a three-time IWLCA All-American and USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American, three-time ECC Defender of the Year and a four-time IWLCA All-Region recipient and First Team All-ECC honoree. She concluded her college career with a school-record in caused turnovers (175) and ranks second in both ground balls (219) and draw controls (392). The team captain played in the IWLCA Division II Senior All-Star Game and was named the ECC Championship's Most Outstanding Player in 2023.
Academically, she has been named the ECC Women's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year three times and has been named College Sports Communicators Academic All-American three times. She has also been named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District three times, named to the ECC Commissioner's Honor Roll four times, earned the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award three times and has been named to the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll four times. Shimborske leaves Mercy as one of the most decorated student-athletes in school history.
At BԪ, athletes shine on and off the field. This past year, the Mavericks earned the NCAA Division II President’s Award for Academic Excellence for the third consecutive year. This award is bestowed upon qualifying colleges and universities that achieve an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90 or higher. Considered to be a strong measure of student athletes’ academic performance, Mercy registered an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 92 percent, ranking 12th out of 312 Division II institutions.