Vol. 1: 2022 Season Preview, Sleeper & Final Four Picks
Vol. 1: 2022 Season Preview, Sleeper & Final Four Picks
Quick on the Draw is back for its second year, just in time before the 2022 women's lacrosse season begins. It's time to unpack what teams and storylines are on the rise.
Charlotte North, the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner, rips a shot against Syracuse last season. BC ended up beating ’Cuse in the national title game. Photo courtesy: BC Athletics.
INTRODUCTION: Hi there! We’re back. New here?
Quick on the Draw is a weekly newsletter about Division I college women’s lacrosse. We’ll overview the best storylines, stars and plays from the previous week. Analysis will be included, as we track the season’s development, national polls and Tewaaraton candidates. Expect stats, graphics and GIFs. To learn more, click here.
It’s Christmas Eve in the lacrosse world. The season starts tomorrow. And unlike last year—which featured weekend doubleheaders, some conference-only schedules and the Ivy League’s absence—it looks like we’re finally back to normal.
Of course, “normal” means excitedly chaotic in college sports.
And that’s no different when it comes to women’s lacrosse.
Last year saw Boston College avenge three straight National Championship defeats with a victory over ACC rival Syracuse in the title game. The Eagles have their eyes on a repeat campaign, but the rest of the conference and country has other ideas.
Before the season kicks off, we have a primer on everything you need to know.
Inside Lacrosse Poll
NOTE: screenshots pulled from insidelacrosse.com.
Top-10 Preview:
NO. 1 BOSTON COLLEGE (2021: 18-3, 8-2 ACC)
Reigning national champions. The preseason No. 1 team. ACC favorites. Home of last year’s Tewaaraton Award winner. Call BC what you want—you have the pick of the litter. A hangover isn’t in the cards for the Eagles, who are returning five preseason All-Americans: a group headlined by Charlotte North. The Duke-turned-BC superstar set the single-season NCAA record with 102 goals last year. She’s the face of the sport and back to lead the Eagles to what they hope will be their fifth national championship appearance in the last six years.
BC goalie Rachel Hall makes a stop during the Eagles’ Final Four victory over UNC in 2021. Photo courtesy: Tommy Gilligan/BC Athletics.
BC returns 89% of its scoring output from a season ago, including attacker Jenn Medjid—who was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team after stacking 19 goals and seven assists during the title run—and middie Belle Smith, last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year. The defensive end starts with Hollie Schleicher (33 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers) but now features Temple grad transfer Courtney Taylor, who led the nation in ground balls (67) and ranked second in caused turnovers (42) while helping the Owls to their first NCAA Tournament win in 23 years. Rachel Hall will again be in net for the Eagles. She was spectacular in the Final Four, notably turning away 11 shots against UNC while posting a .524 save percentage.
NO. 2 NORTH CAROLINA (2021: 20-1, 9-0 ACC)
Another year, another stacked UNC team with hopes of a national championship. The Tar Heels return five of their top-six scorers from last season as well as graduate student goalie and 2021 first-team All-American Taylor Moreno. And yes, four-time All-American attacker Jamie Ortega is back for a fifth year. Ortega tallied the fourth-most points in the country last season (110) and is up to 353 in her career. She is second on UNC’s all-time career scoring list, only 17 points behind Katie Hoeg (370), who graduated following the 2021 campaign. Hoeg led the country in assists per game in 2021 (3.38) and will be missed on the offensive end.
The Tar Heels, however, added some star transfers who hope to fill the gap. Reigning Big Ten midfielder of the year Olivia Dirks comes to UNC from Penn State. Two-time All-American midfielder Andie Aldave makes the move from Notre Dame to UNC in her fifth year after setting Notre Dame’s all-time career draw controls record (367). Sam Geiersbach—following a four-year, 260 points career at Richmond—also joins the team. Remember, UNC lost to eventual national champion BC by just one goal in the Final Four last year and previously beat the Eagles in the regular season, 21-9. Expect UNC to be one of the best teams in the country…again. The Heels open with James Madison, Furman, Florida, Pitt and Jacksonville for their first five games. We’re circling their March 6 matchup with Northwestern as their first marquee game.
NO. 3 SYRACUSE (2021: 17-4, 8-2 ACC)
After beating her alma mater to win a national championship as BC’s associate head coach, Kayla Treanor returned to Syracuse, where she holds the program’s all-time scoring record. Longtime Orange head coach Gary Gait—who led the women’s team for 14 seasons—replaced John Desko as the men’s coach. And Treanor took Gait’s job. It could be a seamless transition for Treanor, who starred in Athletes Unlimited this past summer and starts her head coaching career with a bundle of talent. She’s also joined Kenzie Kent. The former BC dual-sport stud is on staff as an assistant.
Kayla Treanor, then BC’s associate head coach, delivers a message to the Eagles. Now, she gets the chance to lead her alma mater, Syracuse. Photo courtesy: BC Athletics.
As for Syracuse’s on-field arsenal, it centers around graduate attacker Emily Hawryschuk. She was the Orange’s leading scorer from 2018-20 but missed practically all of last season with an ACL tear that she sustained directly following their opener. While Syracuse gets Hawryschuk back, it did lose Emma Ward (43 goals, 30 assists in 2021) to a season-ending lower leg injury. Fortunately for the Orange, they have more than enough offensive ammo to compensate. The Tyrrell sisters certainly help. Meaghan, the older of the two, racked up 112 points last season and ranked 37th nationally in goals per game (3.24). Emma, now a junior, teamed up with Meaghan to compile 45 of the Orange’s postseason points last year. Then there’s midfielder Sierra Cockerille, who quietly put up 22 goals and 28 assists in 2021. The big question mark for Syracuse lies in the cage. The program’s all-time saves leader, Asa Goldstock, is gone. It’s a four-way battle for starting minutes in goal, and Treanor brought in a pair of transfers—UNC’s Kimber Hower and USC’s Delaney Sweitzer—to compete.
NO. 4 NORTHWESTERN (2021: 15-1, 11-0 Big Ten)
It’s hard to start talking about the Wildcats without mentioning Izzy Scane. The 2021 season’s leading scorer was named a first-team All-American following a jaw-dropping 98-goal, 26-assist, 124-point season in her junior year. Behind Scane’s scoring, the Wildcats breezed through the Big Ten regular season to a perfect 11-0 record and won the conference tournament with relative ease. They earned a No. 2 overall seed and made the Final Four before suffering a 21-13 loss to Syracuse. In December 2021, the rising senior and Tewaaraton Award favorite announced she would be sidelined this year with an ACL injury.
The Wildcats will now look to the likes of Lauren Gilbert (66 goals, 9 assists, 75 points in 2021) and Erin Coykendall (21 goals, 44 assists, 65 points in 2021) on the offensive end. The Wildcats also return notable midfield and defensive talent. Both Brennan Dwyer and Jill Girardi received preseason All-American nods at the draw control/midfield position. Defender Ally Palermo was first-team All-Big Ten last season and also was named preseason second-team All-American. In goal, look for senior Madison Doucette early in the season. Junior Logan Lillie may get her chances as well, and perhaps even the first-year goalies Helaina Harris and Cara Nugent will get some time. As always, we’ll be paying more attention to Northwestern’s non-conference slate than its Big Ten schedule. Northwestern plays five top-six teams in the first month of the season: Feb. 12 at No. 1 BC, Feb. 23 at No. 5 Notre Dame, March 1 vs. No. 3 Syracuse, March 6 at No. 2 UNC and March 10 vs. No. 6 Stony Brook.
NO. 5 NOTRE DAME (2021: 11-7, 5-5 ACC)
The Fighting Irish return a wealth of experience on offense. That includes their top-four scorers from last year: junior attackers Kasey Choma, Jackie Wolak and Madison Ahern, in addition to graduate attacker Maddie Howe. Choma was in the driver’s seat in 2021, leading the team with 45 goals over 18 games. Howe is a second-year captain, though, and came back for a fifth year after logging 33 goals and 13 assists last season. Notre Dame’s midfield could sprout some up-and-comers. Sophomore Keelin Schlageter is a name to know, and freshmen Grace Weigand and Ava Kristynik could see immediate playing time. Kristynik took draws for the Irish in fall ball, according to USA Lacrosse Magazine.
Notre Dame goalie Bridget Deehan turns upfield. Deehan, who ranked third nationally in saves last year, enters her graduate year in 2022. Photo courtesy: Notre Dame Athletics.
Where Notre Dame is especially green, however, is the defensive side of the ball. The Irish are coming off a season in which they ranked 41st nationally in goals allowed (11.44 per game) and 34th in caused turnovers (8.83 per game). But they graduated Kathleen Roe, Savannah Buchanan, Erin McBride and Kelly Donnelly—a group that combined for 79 ground balls and 67 caused turnovers last year. Maryland transfer defender Emma Schettig will likely see more time this season, and more pressure will be on graduate goalie Bridget Deehan to do her thing. Deehan ranked third in the country in saves in 2021.
NO. 6 STONY BROOK (2021: 16-3, 8-0 America East)
The Seawolves have a lot of moving parts coming into the 2022 season. After the university’s announcement that it would be leaving the America East for the CAA, the America East has stated that Stony Brook athletic teams are ineligible for conference postseason tournaments. Combined with the shifting of conferences, Stony Brook loses its top-two scorers from last year in Taryn Ohlmiller (52 goals, 56 assists) and Ally Kennedy (73 goals, 8 assists). Ohlmiller was also second in the country in assists last year. Stony Brook does not return a player who recorded more than 50 points in 2021.
Midfielder Ellie Masera dodges a defender in Stony Brook’s first-round NCAA Tournament victory over Towson last year. Photo courtesy: Stony Brook Athletics.
Reigning America East Defensive Player of the Year Rayna Sabella is back for her graduate season, as well as goalie Kam Halsall, who will represent Team Canada at the 2022 Women’s Lacrosse World Cup. Halsall had a 9.51 goals against average with the Seawolves last season, good for 11th in the country. Stony Brook will need elite performances to take down No. 3 Syracuse and No. 4 Northwestern in its first month of play. Pay close attention to its March 5 game at No. 7 Florida and its March 29 game at No. 15 Princeton to see how the Seawolves stack up among the sport’s best.
NO. 7 FLORIDA (2021: 18-3, 10-0 AAC)
The Gators were loaded with fifth-year seniors last season. It’s mostly a new cast this time around. Luckily for head coach Amanda O’Leary, Florida still has one of the best goaltenders in the country in Sarah Reznick, who we think could wind up being a Tewaaraton candidate (see below). The Gators’ defense, which ranked second nationally in goals allowed per game (7.00) last year, will be headed by senior Emma Wightman. She’ll be accompanied by transfers Leah Lingo (Virginia Tech) and Catherine Flaherty (Maryland). Together, the trio should give Reznick a bit of insurance in front of the crease.
The midfield is a hotbed for talent in Gainesville. Florida has two-way middie Emily Heller, who chipped in 12 goals as a freshman along with 23 ground balls and seven caused turnovers. Then there’s reigning AAC Rookie of the Year Danielle Pavinelli (four hat tricks and 54.5% shooting percentage in 2021). Emma LoPinto is expected to be a major offensive contributor right away. She was rated as Inside Lacrosse’s No. 1 freshman attacker. Without Shannon Kavanagh (78 goals, 19 assists in 2021), the Gators’ offense might not have a superstar, per se, but will probably be more balanced. Kavanagh won 115 draws for Florida last year, though. The Gators will need someone to step up in the circle. Maybe it’s middie Paisley Eagan.
NO. 8 DUKE (2021: 11-8, 4-6 ACC)
Watch out for this Duke team. The Blue Devils made the Elite Eight last season and had a 6-1 lead on the two-seed Northwestern Wildcats before being outscored, 21-4, and losing, 22-10. Still, Duke put the ACC and the country on notice. With a balanced offense that returns three of its top-four scorers, the Blue Devils could again sneak under the radar early in the season. Maddie Jenner, the senior 6-foot-2 draw control menace and attacker, tallied an incredible 187 draws last season. She was second in the nation in draws and third in draws per game (9.84), behind only UMass’ Caitlyn Petro (13.75 per game) and Stanford’s Genesis Lucero (10.08).
Also look for junior midfielder Olivia Carner—who had five goals in the Northwestern game—to take another step this year. Sure, Duke lacks the top-end firepower of some other ACC schools, but the Blue Devils could very well pull off an upset or two and play deep into May. Duke has an easy February schedule against Elon, William & Mary, High Point, Wofford and East Carolina. Its first big game is March 6 at No. 3 Syracuse.
NO. 9 MARYLAND (2021: 10-7, 6-5 Big Ten)
It’s only been two years since Maryland’s last National Championship appearance, but it feels like it’s been a lot longer because of (1) the pandemic and (2) the program’s pedigree. The Terrapins have won 14 national titles, including seven since the turn of the century. They’ve also finished as runner-ups three times since 2010. Point being, Maryland wins. A lot. And last year’s 10-7 record was nothing more than a blip on the radar. Head coach Cathy Reese welcomes back eight starters to complement one of the nation’s best recruiting classes (no surprise there).
The Terrapins meet for a postgame celebratory huddle after beating High Point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Photo courtesy: Maryland Athletics.
Plus, Reese hit the portal. Hard. She stayed within the conference to grab Johns Hopkins attacker Aurora Cordingley (39 goals, 18 assists in 2021) and went outside the Big Ten to pull in Penn’s Abby Bosco, an All-Ivy League defender, and Albany’s Clancy Rheude, last year’s America East Co-Defensive Player of the Year—both of whom will help fill the void left by Tewaaraton finalist Lizzie Colson. And, of course, Maryland is returning attacker Hannah Leubecker, who popped off for 58 goals in 2021, two-way middie Grace Griffin and established defender Tori Baretta.
NO. 10 LOYOLA (2021: 12-3, 5-0 Patriot League)
Similar to Stony Brook in the America East and even Northwestern in the Big Ten, Loyola is clearly the best team in its conference—the Patriot League. The Greyhounds were picked as league favorites, receiving 18 of the 20 available first-place votes. Additionally, Livy Rosenzweig, Sam Fiedler, Katie Detwiler and Kaitlyn Larsson were selected as the preseason attacker, midfielder, defender, and goalie of the year, respectively, in the conference. Not bad, right?
Livy Rosenzweig—who had 33 goals, 50 assists and 83 points last season—has the ability to be one of the best attackers in the country. Second in the nation in assists per game last year (3.33), Rosenzweig had 11 games with five-plus points in 2021. She had a pair of six-goal, three-assist games against Villanova and Drexel. We expect the Greyhounds to again run through the Patriot League and be in the mix for at least a second-round appearance in May (reaching Championship Weekend for the first time since 2003 is the goal, though). Loyola opens at Johns Hopkins, then hosts Towson before traveling to Penn and coming back home to welcome Penn State. Its March 12 matchup in Baltimore versus No. 7 Florida should be fun.
Sleeper Picks:
NO. 13 STANFORD (2021: 11-1, 7-0 PAC-12)
No team in the tournament last season got a tougher draw than the Stanford Cardinal. Led by head coach Danielle Spencer—who won three national championships as a player at Northwestern under Kelly Amonte Hiller—Stanford went 11-0 in 2021 and was ranked No. 13 in the final coaches poll of the regular season. Its opponent in round one was somehow the Denver Pioneers, who went 15-1, won the Big East, and were ranked No. 15 in that same coaches poll. Look across the rest of last year’s bracket and try to find another top-15 matchup in the first round. Spoiler alert: you won’t. In an amazing, back-and-forth game, Denver came out on top, making Stanford’s dream season oddly forgettable.
For most.
The Cardinal welcome back their leading scorer from 2021, Ali Baiocco (50 goals, 25 assists, 75 points), for a fifth year as well as attacker Galen Lew (27 goals, 19 assists, 46 points). Stanford’s biggest loss comes on the draw. The Cardinal graduated Genesis Lucero, who was second in the country in draw controls per game last year (10.08). If Stanford can elevate its play on the back end and in goal, Stanford can put even more of the women’s lacrosse world on notice.
NO. 18 JACKSONVILLE (2021: 12-2, 3-0 ASUN)
Last year was a breakthrough for Mindy McCord and Jacksonville. The Dolphins knocked off Florida for the first time in program history, took an 11-1 record into the NCAA Tournament and beat Vanderbilt in the first round. They’re bringing 97% of that group back, not to mention the addition of four transfers and nine freshmen. If Jacksonville is going to make a statement, it’s in 2022.
The Dolphins’ attack is spearheaded by Sarah Elms, last year’s ASUN Player of the Year, and Jenny Kinsey, the conference’s 2022 preseason player of the year selection. They are two of seven graduate students on the team. Elms and Kinsey will be joined by Penn State transfer Lauren Kraft, who had three multi-goal games in 2021. Oh, and then there’s Jacksonville’s defense, which ranked ninth nationally in goals allowed (9.36 per game) last year.
The Dolphins get Virginia Tech, USC, UNC and Notre Dame for four of their first six games. They’re not a big-name program. But they’re going to tussle with the blue bloods.
Last Season’s Statistical Leaders:
POINTS PER GAME
GOALS PER GAME
Top Tewaaraton Candidates:
CHARLOTTE NORTH (Graduate Student, Attack, BC)
Not only did Charlotte North break the NCAA’s single-season goals record last year, but she did it in just 21 games. To put that in perspective, BC’s only other Tewaaraton Award winner, Sam Apuzzo, set the previous program record with 94 goals in 24 games back in 2019. North also shattered the NCAA Tournament goals record with 31 scoring strikes. To top it all off, she was masterful in the circle, winning 174 draws, including four in the national title game. She distanced herself from the rest of the sport, men’s and women’s, in expected-goals-added, according to Lacrosse Reference. With a full slate of games ahead, North could be gunning even gaudier numbers, even if she’s consistently faceguarded. She’s that good.
EMILY HAWRYSCHUK (Graduate Student, Attack, Syracuse)
Emily Hawryschuk has been flirting with a Tewaaraton campaign for years. She was second nationally in goals before COVID-19 cut the season short in 2020. Then she piled up five points (4 goals, 1 assist) in last year’s season opener before losing the season because of an ACL tear. So 2022 could be the sixth-year attacker’s chance to finally get a full—and healthy—slate. With the Tyrrell sisters and other dynamic offensive threats, such as Sierra Cockerille, in play, Hawryschuk should find herself with space to score. It would be quite the comeback story for a team that’s looking to make it back to the national title and win it all this time.
SARAH REZNICK (Redshirt Sophomore, Goalie, Florida)
Only one goalie has ever won the Tewaaraton Award: Maryland’s Megan Taylor in 2019. Of the twenty winners on the women’s side, 12 have been midfielders, six have been attackers, one was a defender and one was a goalie. On the men’s side, 16 winners were attackers, and the other four were midfielders. Clearly, the award leans in favor of goal scorers. If anyone can buck that trend, though, it’s Sarah Reznick. Last year, the redshirt freshman was first in the country in goals against average (6.42) and save percentage (0.567). She was second in total saves (153), behind only Vanderbilt’s Paige Gunning (177). Reznick received second-team All-American honors from Inside Lacrosse following the 2021 season, and we still think she was underrated. She had better stats in both GAA and save percentage than first-team All-American goalie Taylor Moreno of UNC. Reznick has all the tools to have an outstanding season again this year. If the Gators can win some big games and make their first Final Four since 2012, look for Reznick’s name among the Tewaaraton finalists.
JAMIE ORTEGA (Graduate Student, Attack, UNC)
Does anyone else feel like Jamie Ortega could have won the Tewaaraton multiple times already? Last year, Ortega was third in the country in goals (82), fourth in points (110) and fifth in shot percentage (65.6%). She was top-10 in a slew of other categories. In the 2020 season prior to the pandemic, Ortega was third in the country in goals per game (4.57), fourth in points per game (7.43) and first in shot percentage (76.2%). This year, with star offensive transfers coming to Chapel Hill, Ortega is poised for her best season yet. Separating herself from the other high-level attackers in the ACC, such as Charlotte North (BC), Emily Hawryschuk (Syracuse) and Meaghan Tyrrell (Syracuse), will be a challenge, but Ortega should be front and center in the Tewaaraton discussion. No question.
Other Storylines to Know:
THE ACC IS KING…AND IT’S GROWING
Women’s lacrosse is expanding. What better evidence do you need than a power conference school adding it to its list of varsity sports? For the first time ever, the Pitt Panthers will field a team and compete in the ACC. The announcement came back in November 2018, and now we get to see the team for the first time. Emily Boissionneault is the Panthers’ inaugural head coach. Prior to accepting the job in 2019, Boissonneault spent four years at James Madison. She was an assistant coach for three years, including during the Dukes’ 2018 national championship season. Boissonneault was then promoted to head coach for JMU’s 16-4 2019 season that ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Boissonneault also spent time on the staff of Bloomfield Hills Lacrosse club, Winthrop University and the Team Canada U19 National Team. She played four years at Detroit Mercy, where she finished her career with 242 goals, 193 ground balls and 157 caused turnovers.
Pitt’s first team consists of 15 freshmen, eight sophomores, one junior, four seniors and nine graduate students. The Panthers welcome a whopping 14 transfers, including talent from Syracuse, Florida and Virginia. Year one in the ACC gauntlet may have some bumps in the road, but we can’t wait to watch Pitt this year and moving forward.
IN SAILER’S FINAL SEASON, PRINCETON IS BACK TO MAKE A PUSH
Back in November, Chris Sailer—about to start her 36th year as Princeton’s head coach—announced that the 2022 campaign will be her final season. Under Sailer, Princeton has won three national championships (1994, 2002 and 2003). From 1989-2019, the Tigers clinched 26 NCAA Tournament berths and reached 11 Final Fours. Sailer has led Princeton to 15 Ivy League titles, including six in a row, and ranks No. 6 all-time among women’s lacrosse head coaches (across all Divisions) with 418 career wins.
The Tigers enter the 2022 season ranked 15th in the country. They’re led by Kyla Sears, a 2019 second-team All-American. The squad will be hungry after COVID-19 threw a wrench its last two seasons. Princeton might just go undefeated in the Ivy League this year. It last did that in 2015. And, who knows, maybe the Tigers will make one last run for Sailer.
Chris Sailer (middle) has 418 career wins as a head coach and has led Princeton to a trio of national championships and 15 Ivy League titles. Photo courtesy: Princeton Athletics.
ESPN IS HELPING THE GAME GROW WITH MORE BROADCAST SLOTS
On February 4, ESPN issued a press release, which stated that ESPN networks are set to air 450 women’s lacrosse games from 10 conferences across its linear networks as well as ESPN3, ESPN+ and ACCNX (ACC Network Extra). In the press release, ESPN lists 30 games that will be aired on either ESPNU or ACCN, two linear television networks available via cable.
While the coverage represents a huge increase from last season, it is worth noting that men’s lacrosse will still have more matchups on television. ESPN issued a similar press release listing 46 men’s games that are set to air on ESPNU, ESPN2 or ACCN. Of the 30 women’s games listed, nine are postseason matchups that have yet to be determined. Of the 21 others, 16 feature an ACC team and 12 feature two ACC opponents.
Some games to mark on your calendar: No. 4 Northwestern at No. 2 UNC (Sunday March 6, Noon, ESPNU), No. 2 UNC at No. 1 BC (March 20, 2 p.m., ESPNU), No. 2 UNC at No. 3 Syracuse (April 9, 2 p.m., ESPNU) and No. 3 Syracuse at No. 1 BC (April 22, 6 p.m., ESPNU).
Who We Have in the Final Four:
DAVID’S PICK:
Final Four: UNC, BC, Syracuse, Florida
National Championship: UNC beats Syracuse 15-11
If there’s one thing last season showed me, it’s how the ACC schedule prepared teams for May. In 2022, the ACC will be just as stacked, if not more. For that reason, I’m picking three ACC schools in the Final Four for the second consecutive year. I have Syracuse beating BC in a 2021 National Championship game rematch, UNC beating Florida in a battle of goalies and UNC taking the crown with its incredible roster and history of tournament success.
ANDY’S PICK:
Final Four: UNC, BC, Duke, Maryland
National Championship: UNC beats BC, 14-12
You can’t keep Maryland out of the Final Four that long. Yes, three years (and two full seasons) is that long. Before 2021, the Terrapins had made 11 straight national semifinals. I think they’ll be back again. Duke will get hot and make another NCAA Tournament run—bolstered by the draw control queen who is Maddie Jenner—this time getting one step closer. But I think we’ll get another BC-UNC matchup. Not an ACC title game or a Final Four showdown. A National Championship. And the Heels will avenge last year’s semifinal defeat with their first national title since 2016 and third all-time.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of Quick on the Draw. If you liked it or know someone who will, please share! We’ll be back next week for more coverage.