The girls’ lacrosse team at Nansemond-Suffolk Academy competed at the state level on Tuesday, and some of the key players that made this run possible were recently given conference honors.

Senior Carlyne Thorndike and junior Jessie Lerner made the all-conference first team, while junior Sarah Higinbotham made the second team.

Receiving an All-TCIS lacrosse honor for the first time ever meant a lot to Carlyne Thorndike.

“I made a goal at the beginning of this season to be all-conference, and I reached it, so it’s pretty exciting to hear the good news,” she said.

When asked why she thought Thorndike was chosen, Lady Saints head coach Mary Flowers said, “Why not? She’s a huge impact player this year. She just played with maturity.”

Thorndike’s combination of intelligence and patience, rarely found at the high school level, has attracted the attention of college coaches, Flowers said. It has also produced 32 goals and 11 assists this season.

Jessie Lerner made second team all-conference and first team all-state last year. She said to have reached the top rung of All-TCIS honors this year “was a pretty good feeling.”

“Jessie’s a very consistent player; she doesn’t really let her emotions get to her,” Flowers said. “I think her teammates rely on (her) exact same performance every day.”

The coach said despite the Lady Saints’ lack of substitutes, Lerner always gives 100 percent and has the ability to trick defenses with her play. She has scored 37 goals to go with three assists.

Sarah Higinbotham received her first-ever conference lacrosse honor, making the second team.

“She’s a spark on the team,” Flowers said. The coach added that though Higinbotham may not actually score as many points as others, she has a hand in the points that are being scored as a low defensive and midfield player.

Higinbotham has registered 16 goals and one assist.

“It’s pretty exciting to know that other people see you as accomplished,” Higinbotham said of her All-TCIS honor.