Matnum PI wrote: ↑Mon Jan 17, 2022 1:43 pm
2022: Every Women's DI Team in One Sentence
Monday January 17th, 2022 11:30am
The 2022 season is so, so close.
The USA Lacrosse Convention just finished, All-Americans, preseason rankings and more will be rolling out, and in just a matter of weeks there will be live, regular-season college lacrosse. We’ve already delved into every men’s DI team, so Alyssa Murray Cometti took the reins and is previewing nearly 100-plus women’s DI teams.
If you haven't already, check out the composite calendar of games to circle some early-season matchups. And below, check out Every Women’s DI Team in One Sentence:
Akron — With one senior, the Zips enter 2022 with a youthful roster heading into the program's third year led by midfielder Alexis Kiefer.
American — American will look to bounce back with the help of leading scorer Emma Vinall returning for a fifth year.
Arizona State — Tim McCormack & Co. will look to break into the Pac-12 championship game for the first time in the program's five years with a team that gains key experience from Northwestern transfer Taylor Pinzone, returning top defender Bella Gaspar and with second-leading scorer Emily Glagolev.
Army — With a brand new coaching staff in Michelle Tumolo, Katrina Dowd and Ella Simkins, Army will likely lean on Caroline Raymond to produce more offensively after losing leading scorer Jackie Brattan to graduation.
Binghamton — The Bearcats return their top three scorers from 2021 and will use that experience to work their way up the America East Conference ranks.
Boston College — The "Queen of the North" returns along with many other integral players from the Eagles' first NCAA Championship; look for Jenn Medjid and Belle Smith to play an even greater role this year as teams try everything under the sun to stop Charlotte North.
Boston University — The Terriers will utilize Jennifer Barry to dominate at the draw again in her junior campaign.
Brown — Like all Ivys, Brown returns short on experience due to missing most of the past two seasons, but will expect upperclassmen Maggie Fowler, Erin Tucker, Erin Schafer, Allison Lanzone and Claire Jeschke to help close the gap between the less experienced players.
Bryant — Attacker Cassidy Burns returns for the Bulldogs as Bryant as they seek a NEC championship.
Bucknell — Second-team All-Patriot League memeber and team draw control leader Ella Payer returns as a captain for her junior campaign.
Butler — Butler struggled in a strong Big East conference but will return top scorers KK Callaghan and Campbell Connors to help them bounce back in 2022.
California — The Golden Bears expect fifth year Liz Scott (Loyola) to come in and make an impact; it will be interesting to see how her Patriot League experience translates to the Pac-12.
Campbell — A young squad that was above .500 last year looks to improve this spring with the help of Julianna Sanchez, the Camels' leading scorer and leader in draw controls.
Canisius — Riley Davis, a member of the 2021 All-Rookie Team, will return to help Canisius bounce back from a down year.
Central Connecticut — Central Connecticut struggled last year but will have a fresh start against opening against Monmouth on Feb. 20.
Central Michigan — The Chippewas finished last year above .500 for the second time in program history; this spring they will look to build upon that success.
Cincinnati — The Bearcats graduated many talented seniors but will return midfielder Kylie Nause to lead them in 2022.
Coastal Carolina — Rachel Shuck Whitten will debut as Coastal Carolina's new head coach along with her long-time assistants Erin Fitzgerald and Samantha Giacolone.
Colgate — After two successful sophomore seasons, Eliza Soutter and Cara O'Reilly return for Colgate in hopes to climb the Patriot League ranks.
Colorado — Sadie Grozier returns for a fifth year in hopes to avenge the Buffs' Pac-12 Championship loss to Stanford.
Columbia — Columbia will have a new look in 2022, not only having several new faces due to the almost two-year hiatus of play, but also new coaching staff with Anne Murray leading as head coach.
Cornell — Dynamic attacker Katie Castiello will lead the Big Red for her redshirt sophomore year.
Dartmouth — The Big Green graduated many players with experience over the past two years of suspended play, but for what they may lack in experience, coach Alex Frank is excited for the grittiness and resiliency that her young squad will bring.
Davidson — Kim Wayne's squad will be glad to return Erin Cooke, their leading points scorer, to headline their offense with goalie Amanda Monahan anchoring the defense.
Delaware — After a shortened season in both 2020 and 2021 for the Blue Hens, Amy Altig's team will get back on track and make some waves in the CAA.
Delaware State — After a tough 2021 season, the Hornets will look to improve this spring; they open vs. the U of DC on Feb. 15.
Denver — After notching the program's first Big East title last season, the Pioneers will look to repeat with the help of Bea Behrins, Sam Thacker and Ellie Curry.
Detroit Mercy — Senior Elise Harder will lead a team of mostly freshman and sophomores as Detroit Mercy builds this spring.
Drexel — First-time head coach Kim Hillier takes over a Drexel program that had great success in 2021 and is looking to build upon that with the help of Karson Harris, Colleen Grady, and Zoe Bennett.
Duke — Any team with draw control phenom Maddie Jenner on it will be able to compete in big games just based off their sheer ability to gain possession — and for the Blue Devils, Jenner isn't the only impact player back for 2022.
Duquesne — Team captains Maggie Flynn, Alana Piano and Kaitlin Rice will be the backbone of success for the Dukes.
East Carolina — A longtime starter and second-team All-Conference player, Nicole Legar will headline for the Pirates with the help of Megan Tryniski and Frances Kimel.
Elon — Coming off of a successful 9-3 season, Elon will need to find new offensive firepower after graduating two leading scorers.
Fairfield — The 2021 MAAC Champions will look to repeat their success; coach Laura Field signed a new contract through 2024 to keep the success rolling with stability at the top.
Florida — The Gators may have graduated a lot, but they will return stellar goalie Sarah Reznick to anchor the defense while freshman Emma LoPinto is expected to make an immediate impact.
Furman — Kirkland Lewis will debut as head coach; the Paladins were a goal away from the SoCon championship.
Gardner-Webb — After struggling in conference last year, Gardner-Webb's Heather Lobas will take the lead on defense while Jada Preston will pace the offense in hopes to see more success this spring.
George Mason — Kara Mupo enters her second year as head coach for the Patriots and will likely lean on Chloe Reed and Melissa Capri to pace her group after a heavy graduation year.
George Washington — Finishing at .500 last year, Jenny Uhlela will look for some more conference wins to push the needle forward.
Georgetown — The Hoyas return leading goals and points scorer Kylie Hazen and will utilize her versatility on the offensive end, while defensively they will rely on Olivia Buckman as a takeaway defender and Nicole Massimino as the anchor.
Hartford — Hartford's Department of Athletics leadership has withdrawn women's lacrosse from America East competition in 2022; the athletics program is transitioning to DIII.
Harvard — Devon Wills' squad will lean on Annabel Child, Grace Hulslander and Shea Jenkins to lead as lacrosse in the Ivy League returns.
High Point — The Big South champions will look to make the leap beyond the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the help of the Big South Offensive Player of the Year Abby Hormes leading the way.
Hofstra — Second-team All-CAA team members Katie Whelan and Shannon Boyle will lead the charge for Shannon Smith's team.
Holy Cross — Holy Cross returns leading scorer Jolie Creo, who will be critical to the Crusaders' success in the Patriot League.
Howard — Karen Healy-Silcott will lead the Bison as their new head coach, and they'll sport a new conference in the NEC.
Iona — After a difficult season in 2021, Iona will look to improve in-conference play in hopes to climb the MAAC ranks.
Jacksonville — The Dolphins return all of their starters to build onto the best year in program history — veterans Molly Brock, Jenny Kinsey and Sarah Elms will look to make an even bigger push up the Top 20 list this year.
James Madison — Longtime starter Molly Dougherty will be the anchor of JMU's success; the Dukes are not eligible to win the CAA Tournament after the university announced its intention to depart to the Sun Belt.
Johns Hopkins — In Janine Tucker's final year at the helm, it seems like there is no greater time for the Blue Jays to have a great year than this one.
Kennesaw State — Coming off impressive rookie seasons, each earning a spot on the ASUN All-Freshmen Team, Julia Weiss, Rachel Price, Caroline Farley, and Hannah Barth will hope to continue the success in their sophomore campaigns.
Kent State — After being in the middle of the pack in 2021, coach Brianne Tierney will look to push her team ahead of the rest in the Mid-American Conference.
La Salle — The Explorers lost several graduate students after 2021, so there will be plenty of room for fresh faces to make an impact.
Lafayette — Despite being a collectively young team, Lafayette returns its leading scorer Olivia Cunningham.
Lehigh — The Patriot League runners-up returns Gabby Schneider, a speedy dodger who forces opponents to draw slides.
Liberty — Brooke Bryan returns and will lead the Flames after having scoring the second-most points of any player in school history.
LIU — Kelly Johnston, Jen Gaffney and Catherine Robles will take a bigger role this spring after the graduation of Rachel Masullo and Paige Sherlock.
Longwood — Longwood has plenty of space for less experienced players to step up after graduating multiple impactful seniors.
Louisville — Coach Scott Teeter and the Cardinals return key midfielder in Caroline Blalock and twin sister, Sarah, on a defense that held Charlotte North to only one goal in a 2021 doubleheader.
Loyola — Loyola returns two of the nation's best in their respective positions, attacker Livy Rosenzweig and defender Katie Detwiler.
Manhattan — Grace Lipponer returns to the Jaspers as their leading goal scorer.
Marist — After graduating several seniors — and powering through a year ravaged by COVID protocols — Marist will be have room for less experienced players to step up and make a splash.
Marquette — Lydia Foust returns to Marquette for her senior year after being a first-team All-Big East team midfielder last spring.
Maryland — After an 11-year streak of Final Four appearances, Maryland found itself on the outside looking in last year. In 2022 they'll look to start a new streak, returning All-American Hannah Leubecker along with key transfers Aurora Cordingley (Johns Hopkins) and Abby Bosco (Penn).
Mercer — After winning three-straight Southern Conference championships, the Mercer Bears face a new challenge in the Big South Conference this spring.
Merrimack — Meghan Dzialo is back again to lead the Warriors after notching 48 points in 2021.
Michigan — Second-team All-Big Ten team members Catilin Muir and and Kaitlyn Mead will take on an even larger role for the Maize and Blue after the graduation of Molly Garrett and Quinn Melidona.
Monmouth — Monmouth graduated lots of talent, so the Hawks will be looking to turn to some others like redshirt sophomore Carli Mangum to produce.
Mount St. Mary's — While the defending NEC champs lost key players like Kaitlyn Ridenour, coach Lauren Skellchock has always managed to rebuild year after year to be a strong contender for the conference title.
Navy — Captains Christine Fiore and Reagan Roelofs will serve as leaders for the Midshipmen in their hunt to return to the top of the Patriot League.
New Hampshire — Kacie Lewis will serve as the Wildcats' new head coach this spring.
Niagara — Returning MAAC Rookie of the Year Rachel Crane and MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year Michelle Messenger, Niagara is set up to have a competitive 2022 season.
North Carolina — The Tar Heels dominated all season before their surprising defeat in the Final Four. Led by Jamie Ortega, Ally Mastroianni, Emma Trenchard and Taylor Moreno, they will aim to avenge their heartbreaking loss and get their hands back on the championship trophy.
Northwestern — The Wildcat offense will look a lot different than years past, unfortunately missing Izzy Scane due to injury. Northwestern returns first-team All-Big Ten player Lauren Gilbert, who will take on the brunt of the offensive load to help fill the void of Scane.
Notre Dame — The Fighting Irish return a veteran offense, including Madison Ahern, Kasey Choma, Maddie Howe and Jackie Wolak while Diana Kelly and Bridget Deehan will serve as Notre Dame's anchor on the defensive end.
Ohio State — Ohio State returns its second- and third-leading scorers in Nicole Ferrara and Lindsey Epstein at attack, plus Chloe Johnson starting on the draw.
Old Dominion — Caroline Shaefer and Lilly Siskind will be key returners for ODU in their hopes of climbing the American Athletic Conference ranks.
Oregon — Coach Chelsea Hoffman brought in junior defender Abby Buczek (Denver) during the offseason and returns leading scorer Hannah Hilcoff.
Penn — A consistent Ivy League power, Penn returns to play in 2022 and will lean on senior attacker Taylyn Stadler and senior defender Ellen O'Callaghan's game experience to lead a young Quakers team .
Penn State — When one door closes, another opens — the Nittany Lions lost star midfielder Olivia Dirks to transfer, but gain fifth-year Taylor Regan (Virginia) and return Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kristin O'Neill.
Pitt — Coach Emily Boissonneault leads the Panthers in the inaugural season of DI lacrosse in the uber-competitive ACC; the roster features some talent that's been hard at work practicing for this moment as well as an influx of talented transfers.
Presbyterian — Abby Edmisten is a leader for Presbyterian this spring, returning as a 2021 second-team All-Big South player.
Princeton — A return of play for the Ivy League plus the legendary Chris Sailer's final season, look for the 2022 Tigers to be determined as ever to clinch yet another Ivy League title.
Quinnipiac — The Bobcats snagged Fresno State transfer and former MPSF Rookie of the Year Sydney Skalstad to bolster their attacking unit.
Radford — Samantha Hurley will debut as Radford's new head coach this spring.
Richmond — Coming off a 10-2 season, the Spiders will look to repeat that success in the A-10 and avenge their championship loss to Saint Joseph's.
Robert Morris — The Colonials were perfect in conference and were Mid-American Conference champions last year; they're looking for a perfect repeat.
Rutgers — In just two short years, Melissa Lehman led her team to its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance and first win; she will build upon that success with the help of returning stars Cassidy Spilis and Taralyn Naslonski.
Sacred Heart — Lydia Werlau and Grace Reinold will be a strong tandem to fill the void of the graduated Kerri Metzler this spring.
St. Bonaventure — With the graduation of Destinee Johnson, the Bonnies will need to find a new option on the offensive side of the ball.
Saint Francis — Autumn McHenry and Danielle Hernandez will return as key players for Saint Francis this spring.
Saint Joseph's — Taylor Newmann-Farr is returning for her fifth year of eligibility to lead the Hawks.
San Diego State — The Aztecs graduated key players, but snagged transfer Deanna Balsama (George Mason), who earned 2019 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and is poised to make an impact.
Siena — The 2021 MAAC runners-up will be looking to snag the title in 2022 after a year in which they won eight straight but couldn't get over the Fairfield hump.
Stanford — Danielle Spencer welcomes her No. 1 recruiting class and returns Ali Baiocco, Stanford's leader in points and goals, in the hunt for another conference championship this spring.
Stetson — Christy Leach enters her eighth year as the head coach of the Hatters; their eight-player recruiting class features players from Texas, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts and New York.
Stony Brook — After falling in a heartbreaking quarterfinal loss to North Carolina last year, Stony Brook is knocking on the door of making the program's first Final Four led by Kailyn Hart, Ellie Masera and Rayna Sabella.
Syracuse — The Kayla Treanor era begins in less than a month, where she will try to continue her National Championship-winning ways for her alma mater that's knocking on the door of a title.
Temple — Belle Mastropietro returns after an impressive sophomore campaign to lead Temple.
Towson — Finishing at .500 last season, Blair Pearre will pace the Tigers in their 2022 campaign.
UAlbany — After a stellar freshman season, leading points scorer Katie Pascale will return for her sophomore year in the Purple and Gold.
UC Davis — MPSF champs last year, UC Davis will play a few of the Western-based teams twice and have an East Coast trip in mid-March.
UConn — The Huskies return many key players, including UConn's first-ever first-team All-American Sydney Watson.
UMass — Leading scorer Haley Connaughton will return for a fifth year at UMass to help her squad win another A-10 championship.
UMass Lowell — While they may have been young in 2021, UMass Lowell will return experience in Izzy Liquori and Megan Bockbank this spring as they look to climb the America East ranks.
UMBC — Claire Bockstie had a stellar sophomore year, leading her team with 50 points (42G, 8A); Amy Slade will lean on her to produce big offensive numbers this year.
USC — As the Pac-12 competition grows fiercer each year, the Women of Troy will have a tough schedule in the battle for a postseason automatic qualifier, but they have fifth-year seniors Kelsey Huff and Lizzy Wagner to lead the hunt.
Vanderbilt — The Commodores' all-time assist leader Gabby Fornia returns for her fifth year in hopes to make a run for the AAC Championship.
VCU — Nicole Flores will start her first season as VCU head coach.
Vermont — Junior Ava Vasile returns as Vermont's key player, earning a spot on the All-Roookie and first-team All-Conference in 2021.
Villanova — Jill Depetris will lead the Wildcats in her first year as head coach; she's proven the ability to raise the bar of her athletes in previous tenures and will attempt to repeat that once again for Villanova
Virginia — Virginia's returns leading scorer Ashlyn McGovern, who will be integral for the 'Hoos success in the powerhouse that is the ACC.
Virginia Tech — The Hokies return to play with a new coaching staff including head coach Kristin Skiera and assistants Shannon Gilroy and Mary Claire Byrne.
Wagner — Last year's second- and third-leading scorers, Megan Greco and Kasey Dorney, return and will lead Wagner under first-year head coach Kelly McPartland.
William and Mary — Seniors Belle Martire will quarterback the William and Mary offense as a returning All-CAA player.
Winthrop — Finishing at an even .500 during the 2021 regular season, Winthrop will look to climb up the Big South ranks this year.
Wofford — The Terriers are headed into their fifth year of play, but 2022 will be the first in the Big South.
Yale — Returning captain Kelsey Dunn will lead the Elis in their quest to make a run to the Ivy League Tournament.
Youngstown State — Youngstown State enters its second year of play with Erin Clark, Natalie Calandra-Ryan, Aryss Lindsey, and Kayla Stecker as key contributors.
. The "locker rooms" are even more subpar though--two storage pods. But the field itself? A very friendly place to play and watch with woods on two sides and a nice quiet Newton neighborhood on the 3rd side. 