PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Jessica Beneducci, Sophia Cardello and Cassidy Spilis were named 2024 Big Ten Players to Watch, announced Wednesday by the conference. This is the fifth consecutive Big Ten preseason honor for Spilis, while Beneducci and Cardello earn preseason league recognition for the first time.
 
Receiving votes in the 2024 ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Preseason Poll, Rutgers women's lacrosse was picked to finish sixth in the conference, as voted by the league's coaches.
 
A four-year starter on defense, Beneducci has produced 101 ground balls and 53 caused turnovers during her collegiate career. Last season, Beneducci caused seven turnovers and scooped up 17 ground balls, which included the 100th ground ball of her career in a victory over No. 16 Johns Hopkins at the Big Ten Tournament. A Second Team All-Big Ten pick during the 2022 season, Beneducci is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
 
Entering her fourth season, Cardello has appeared in 50 games with 46 starts between the pipes. The Massapequa, New York, native, owns 402 career saves and a .427 save percentage during her standout collegiate career. Cardello started all 17 games in cage for Rutgers last spring, tallying 154 saves, a .458 save percentage, and an 11.11 GAA in eight wins. During her junior campaign, Cardello produced 10 or more saves in seven games and finished second in the Big Ten with 9.06 saves per game. Cardello is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
  
A First Team All-Big Ten honoree and a First Team IWLCA All-Region pick, Spilis finished the regular season with a team-high 47 goals to go along with 45 draw controls, 26 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers. The 2022 Big Ten Midfielder of the Year scored three or more goals in 10 games during the season, including a season-high six in RU's 15-8 victory over Georgetown back in February. A two-time Big Ten Midfielder of the Year this past season, Spilis passed current volunteer assistant coach Taralyn Naslonski for the most in program history at 192 for her career. In 62 career games, Spilis has produced 202 points on 192 goals and 10 helpers along with 215 draw controls, 110 ground balls and 66 caused turnovers. A three-time All-American, three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection and two-time team captain, Spilis has been named to the conference's all-academic squad three times and was a 2023 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
 
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country under head coach Melissa Lehman, Rutgers finished with eight victories and its third consecutive Big Ten Tournament Semifinal appearance last spring. The Scarlet Knights picked up wins against three ranked opponents – No. 6 Stony Brook, No. 16 Johns Hopkins, and No. 19 Jacksonville – and closed the season receiving votes in the final IWLCA Coaches Poll.