GLOUCESTER, Mass. – Women's hockey junior forward Lily Mortenson (Champlin, Minn.) was named one of 13 finalists for the 2025 Laura Hurd Award, presented by the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA), which is awarded to the top NCAA Division III women's hockey player in the country, the organization announced on Tuesday, March 18. 

The finalists include 11 forwards and two defenders. Of the honorees, eight are seniors, two are juniors, two are sophomores, and Nazareth's Amy Laskowski is the sole first-year. All 13 are first-time finalists for the award. The winner will be announced at the NCAA Division III Frozen Four banquet in River Falls, Wis., alongside the AHCA All-America teams. 

Mortenson was named the MIAC's Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in every major offensive statistical category, and earned the first All-Conference honor of her career on March 10. 

The junior enjoyed a career year, tallying 46 points on 22 goals and 24 assists. She registered 146 shots on goal and won 361 total faceoffs. Through games of March 15, Mortenson ranks second in the nation in points per game (1.64), third in faceoff wins (361), fourth in goals per game (0.79), fifth in power play goals (six), and ninth in assists per game (0.86). Two of her goals were game-winners and she also netted a pair of hat tricks, and was three times named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Week.

Her 46 points are the most by any Gustavus player since Allie Schwab '12 tallied 46 off 25 goals and 21 assists in 30 games in the 2011-12 season. She is also the first player since All-American teammate Hailey Holland '24 to score more than one hat trick in a season, and nearly doubled the point total of her standout rookie season (13 G, 13 A). Holland was a two-time finalist for the Laura Hurd Award in the last two seasons. 

Joining Mortenson as a finalist for the award is fellow MIAC player and Defensive Player of the Year Nora Stepan (Augsburg), as well as a pair of regional opponents in UW-River Falls' Bailey Olson and St. Norbert's Courtnie Hogan. Sydney Bradley (Alvernia, Pa.), Anna Dale (Lebanon Valley, Pa.), Samantha Fantasia (Endicott, Mass.), Erika Goleniak (Elmira, N.Y.), Mack Hull (SUNY-Oswego), Jordan Kowalski (Utica, N.Y.), Amy Laskowski (Nazareth, N.Y.), Rebecca McKelvey (Rivier, N.H.), and Claire Sammons (Connecticut College) are the other finalists. 

Gustavus boasts two AHCA Players of the Year since the award was created in the 1999-2000 season. Sarah Garrison Moe '02 HOF '17 won the award in 2002, while now Associate Head Coach Andrea Peterson '07 HOF '22 won the award in 2007. Both Holland and Katie McCoy '24 were finalists for last year's award. 

The Gusties finished the 2024-25 season 21-7-0 overall and 15-3-0 in the conference and was ranked as high as No. 2 nationally in both the USCHO.com and DIII Hockey News rankings. Gustavus was the MIAC Playoff runner-up, and received an at-large bid to its 18th national tournament appearance, falling to St. Norbert (Wis.) in the first round.