Senior defender Despina Giannakopoulos was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after strong performances in two victories for Harvard, according to a March 30 announcement from the league.
This recognition marks the second consecutive weekly honor for Harvard. Giannakopoulos nearly reached her career high in single-game ground balls, collecting eight against Holy Cross and adding two more during a weekend win over Brown.
In addition to her ground ball totals, Giannakopoulos recorded three caused turnovers against Holy Cross and one more versus Brown. She finished with ten ground balls and four caused turnovers across both games, earning Harvard’s first weekly defensive honor this season.
Giannakopoulos has started all nine games for Harvard this year and serves as a senior captain on the team. Her contributions have been central to the Crimson defense throughout the season.
Harvard is set to play Penn this week while riding a three-game winning streak.
