Vol. 10: Behind Rhatigan, Mercer Making it Big in the Big South
Vol. 10: Behind Rhatigan, Mercer Making it Big in the Big South
Hailey Rhatigan, who led all freshmen in points three years ago, has returned to the national spotlight as a senior, and she has Mercer off to its best start since 2017.
Mercer senior attacker Hailey Rhatigan lines up for a free-position attempt. She leads the country with 5.00 goals per game. Photo courtesy: Mercer Athletics.
There’s been one player each of the last two full seasons who has finished top three in both points per game and goals per game.
Last year, it was Northwestern’s Izzy Scane, a Tewaaraton Award finalist. In 2019, it was Charlotte North, then with Duke, who of course has emerged as the sport’s biggest superstar while winning the Tewaaraton and national title in 2021.
This season, there’s a new player that could end up in that class. Except, unlike North or Scane, you might not have heard of her before.
Hailey Rhatigan: She’s the architect of Mercer’s best start since 2017—and she could be the biggest unknown in women’s college lacrosse.
Rhatigan leads the country with 5.00 goals per game and is third nationally with 6.18 points per game. The magic number is seven for the 5-foot-7 senior attacker from Holbrook, New York. Not only is it on her jersey, but it’s also the mark she’s reached in points in six of her 11 games this year. Rhatigan has logged six or more goals five times in that span, including in each of the Bears last three games, all of which Mercer won by at least eight goals.
During the Bears’ win streak, she’s averaging a scorching 7.00 goals and 8.67 points per game. She has Mercer (8-3, 4-0 Big South) in first place in the Big South. It’s the Bears’ first year as an associate member of the conference after the SoCon could no longer sponsor the sport because of an insufficient number of teams.
At first, it looked glum for a Mercer program that was on the heels of its third straight conference title and NCAA Tournament appearance—the last of which was only made possible by improbable back-to-back wins over the league’s top-two teams: Coastal Carolina and Furman.
But Rhatigan’s return to the national spotlight has the Bears right where they want to be entering the home stretch of the season in the Big South.
Yes, her return.
As the 2019 SoCon Freshman of the Year, she led all first-year players nationally in points. Rhatigan piled up 64 goals—the most in single-season program history—to go along with 19 assists. Her 82 points were more than classmates Scane (79), Deanna Balsama (71)—then with George Mason—and Syracuse’s Meaghan Tyrrell (57) and Megan Carney (56).
Although Rhatigan’s numbers weren’t as impressive in the subsequent COVID-19-affected seasons, her impact was still undeniable. For instance, last year, she registered 15 points (11 goals, 4 assists) amid the Bears’ SoCon Tournament run.
She’s Mercer’s crown jewel, however, head coach Samantha Eustace also has three other 20-plus-goal scorers (Chloe Schaeffer, Shannon Urey and Erin Degnan) right now. That’s not to mention the Bears’ defensive playmakers, namely junior Ainsley Malamala and even middie Emma Pizzo. Then there’s goalie Isea Cryne, who went over the 500 career save mark this year and ranks 48th nationally with a .434 save percentage.
So while Rhatigan is a name to know, Mercer is a team to know as well.
The Bears’ three losses have been to ranked opponents (USC, UNC and Florida), and they’re gunning for their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
But they aren’t the only under-appreciated mid-major out there.
Other Storylines to Know:
1. Have you seen the Davidson Wildcats?: If you haven’t, you’re not alone. With head coach Kim Wayne at the helm for year 14, Davidson has put together an 11-2 record and is just one of two unranked teams with double-digit wins (10-4 Army is the other).
Senior attacker Gianna New just picked up Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors after tallying 12 goals and an assist across two wins this past weekend. Junior attacker Erin Cooke has also had an incredible year—she’s first in the A-10 and fourth in the country in assists with 32. Davidson has the second-best free-position percentage in the nation at 56.4%, trailing only Temple (61.1%).
Entering this season, Davidson had a 41-40 overall regular season record since joining the conference back in 2015. UMass and Richmond have run the league, combining for every tournament title since 2009. Davidson, historically, has an A-10 tournament record of 2-4 but has a real chance to shake things up in 2022. The Wildcats will close the regular season with games at No. 20 Richmond (April 16) and at home versus No. 14 UMass (April 23).
2. Drexel has had anything but an encore season: The Dragons made their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2021. They took the country by notice, starting the year 13-1 and climbing to No. 8 in the Inside Lacrosse Poll ahead of the CAA Tournament, which they would have won had James Madison not erased a three-goal deficit to force overtime in the championship game. Nevertheless, Drexel made the NCAA Tournament as an at-large. The Dragons were a lock, too. That’s how good they were. But head coach Jill Batcheller left for Villanova, and things haven’t been the same with Kim Hillier behind the wheel.
Drexel is 7-6 and has lost three of its four games against ranked opponents this season. Granted, two of those defeats have come in one-goal games, but the Dragons have also dropped winnable matchups to Navy, Penn and Towson. The trio of Karson Harris, Colleen Grady and Lucy Schneidereith—who combined for 219 points last year—hasn’t been as dominant this time around, but each has over 30 points so far. The firepower is there. Executing consistently is a completely different story.
Graduate middie Karson Harris looks to goal during Drexel’s 10-9 loss to then-No. 13 Florida on March 20. Photo courtesy: Drexel Athletics.
3. UNC loss, star injury are a double-whammy for No. 4 Syracuse: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: No. 1 UNC faced a test from an ACC opponent but won to remain undefeated. On Saturday, the Tar Heels’ victim was No. 4 Syracuse. After a first half that saw neither team lead by more than one goal, UNC scored four straight early in the third quarter and led, 11-8. Fifth-year attacker Jamie Ortega scored three of the Tar Heels’ final six goals, and UNC stayed perfect, winning, 14-12.
The biggest news of the week from upstate New York came off the field, though. On Friday, Syracuse confirmed that junior midfielder Emma Tyrrell will miss the remainder of the season with a lower-body injury. In Saturday’s contest, senior attacker Megan Carney left the game limping at the end of the first half and would watch the final two quarters with ice on her left knee.
Sigh.
Not only are the losses consequential for Syracuse, they’re big for the sport. Tyrrell was first in the country in free-position percentage (83.3%) and top-10 in the ACC in assists (8th, 20), draw controls per game (6th, 5.33), free-position goals per game (7th, 0.83) and points per game (7th, 4.17). First-year head coach Kayla Treanor was already facing a challenge in taking over a top-tier program after a national runner-up season, and now she’ll have to do it without some of her team’s best players.
4. Pitt gets the monkey off its back with first-ever ACC win: The Panthers were knocking on the door for a while. It was only a matter of time before they got it done. Pitt, in its first year as a program, nearly took down Virginia Tech on March 5 yet lost in double overtime. Less than a week later, the Panthers dropped a one-goal game to No. 7 Duke, which boasts the highest scoring offense in the country. Then, on March 26, Pitt staked itself to a 7-3 lead against No. 2 Boston College before unraveling. But on Saturday, head coach Emily Boissonneault’s team finally played a complete 60 minutes against a conference foe, and it resulted in a 17-10 win over Louisville.
Fittingly, Pitt’s graduating players starred on Senior Day. Paige Petty, Chloe Jones and Carlie Leach combined for 11 goals in the victory. Madisyn Kittell chipped in four assists, too.
Pitt grad transfer Paige Petty scores one of her five goals against Louisville, fueling a 17-10 Senior Day win on April 9. Photo courtesy: Pitt Athletics.
5. The Pac-12 carousel continues: This is turning into a recurring storyline, however, it’s one of the most intriguing in the sport. The Pac-12 is generally one of the weaker power conferences in women’s lacrosse, but it’s been gaining steam the last few years, and, with the increased level of play, has come an unpredictability that makes following the league fun.
This past week, now-No. 23 Arizona State was the biggest winner as the Sun Devils catapulted off their overtime win against No. 13 Rutgers with back-to-back conference victories: the first an 18-11 triumph versus No. 21 Stanford, the second a similarly dominant 18-10 win over Cal. ASU is now 7-6 overall and is one of three Pac-12 teams with just two league losses. The others are No. 17 USC and Stanford. The Cardinal bounced back on Sunday with a 23-17 victory over USC, which beat up on Cal two days earlier. And don’t forget about Colorado. The Buffs had a week off, but they have the same number of overall wins (nine) as Stanford and USC yet are 4-3 in Pac-12 play.
6. Yale beats Harvard and is off to its first 4-0 Ivy start since 1985: When freshman attacker Caroline Burt scored at the end of Saturday’s contest against rival Harvard, she put the finishing touch on a one-goal, 13-12 win that moved the Bulldogs to 4-0 in conference competition. More than that, she and the team vaulted Yale to a position it hasn’t been in in quite some time.
Over the past three seasons, Yale has combined for a 4-12 conference record. Its last season with four Ivy League wins was 2008 (11-5, 4-3 Ivy), and its last season with more than four was 2004 (12-4, 5-2). In 2022, the Bulldogs are 8-2 overall and 4-0 in league play for the first time since 1985.
The freshman class has paved the way—five of the team’s top-seven scorers are in their first season. There’s a bright future in New Haven.
7. Even with bad weather, the Holy War draws 3,148 fans in Chestnut Hill: Before this season, BC had just two home games all-time with 2,000 or more fans. The Eagles already have drawn two crowds of 3,000-plus in 2022, the latest being a passionate bunch during another edition of the Holy War, despite an on-and-off rain day. There was actually a lightning delay that paused play for about an hour and 20 minutes between the first and second quarter. But the unexpected break didn’t derail the Eagles’ momentum.
They built on their 7-2 lead and entered halftime with a 10-3 advantage. Although No. 18 Notre Dame outshot BC, 24-12, in the final two periods, the teams were even, 12-12, for shots on goal. And four Rachel Hall fourth-quarter saves helped the Eagles fend off a Fighting Irish comeback. BC’s 16-10 victory was its 12th in the last 14 meetings with Notre Dame. The Eagles have owned the rivalry since joining the ACC in 2005.
Sidenote: Alumni Stadium is becoming a beacon for women’s lacrosse.
BC senior attacker Jenn Medjid looks out at a crowd of 3,148 that the Eagles drew for their Holy War matchup with No. 18 Notre Dame on April 9. Photo courtesy: BC Athletics.
Weekly Focus:
MADDIE JENNER OWNS THE CIRCLE…
It’s about time we had a weekly focus following our newsletter’s namesake: the draw. Over the past few seasons, Duke senior attacker and draw control specialist Maddie Jenner has become synonymous with the circle. Jenner has tallied over 172 draws this season and is up to 543 in her career. If that sounds insane, it’s because it is.
Heading into this year, Jenner was already second in Duke history in draws and had over 100 more than the third-place Blue Devil on the list. She trailed only her sister, Olivia Jenner (2016-19), who had 512. With 11 draw controls in a win over Davidson on March 20, Maddie Jenner passed her sister and secured bragging rights in the family with 515 career draws.
That’s not the only record Jenner has set this year. Her 21 draw controls against High Point in February were the most in a single game in Duke history and tied for the most by a player this season.
With the Duke records in hand, now Jenner is thinking bigger. With 561 career draw controls, she’s now fourth in NCAA history. With 10 more, Jenner would move to second behind only Jessica Karwacki (Robert Morris, 2013-16) who had 645. Catching Karwacki this season would be difficult but doable—Jenner would need 85 draw controls across her next 3-8 games, pending Duke’s tournament success.
So what makes Jenner so good? For one, her 6-foot-2 frame certainly helps. Jenner seems to tower over most opponents in the circle, and her wingspan means she can grab draws over 10 feet above field level. Second, she’s competing against the best era of draw control players the sport has seen. Out of the top-10 single-season draw control leaders in NCAA history, just three came before 2016.
Numbers to Know:
53 – the number of America East games that No. 5 Stony Brook has won in a row, the longest active conference winning streak in the sport. The Seawolves’ last loss against a conference opponent came on April 26, 2014 at Vermont. The Catamounts won, 8-7, in overtime. The second-longest active conference winning streak is Florida in the AAC (43 and counting).
424 – the number of points fifth-year UNC attacker Jamie Ortega has scored in her career. She is the only active player with over 400 career points. Second is BC’s Charlotte North (393), followed by Loyola’s Livy Rosenzweig (381).
Fifth-year UNC attacker Jamie Ortega celebrates with her teammates during the Tar Heels’ 14-12 win over No. 4 Syracuse on April 9. Photo courtesy: UNC Athletics.
546 – the number of wins Navy head coach Cindy Timchal has tallied in her legendary 40-year career. Timchal has been at Navy since the 2007 season, and she also coached at Maryland (1991-2006) and Northwestern (1981-90). In total, she has won eight national championships, the eighth most by a coach in an NCAA women’s sport.
Tewaaraton Watch:
POINTS PER GAME LEADERS
GOALS PER GAME LEADERS
NOTE: Stats correct through April 12.
Inside Lacrosse Poll
Screenshots pulled from insidelacrosse.com.
The top-seven teams didn’t budge this week. Maryland climbed one rung, switching places with Denver after it thumped Penn State, and the Pioneers barely escaped UConn. The Huskies, by the way, were rewarded for their valiant effort, rising from No. 20 to No. 16. Rutgers bumped up from No. 15 to No. 13, despite losing its second straight game—a 21-13 defeat to No. 3 Northwestern. USC slid from No. 13 to No. 17 in the wake of its loss to now-No. 21 Stanford. Michigan continued its free fall, tumbling four spots to No. 19 after dropping its fourth consecutive game, a 9-7 home defeat to Ohio State. There were no newcomers in this week’s IL Top 25.
What’s Ahead?
No. 8 Maryland @ No. 12 Princeton, April 13, 7 p.m.
No. 1 UNC @ No. 15 Virginia , April 14, 8 p.m.
No. 17 USC @ Colorado, April 15, 6 p.m.
No. 6 Loyola @ Army, April 16, 1 p.m.
No. 2 Boston College @ No. 7 Duke, April 16, 1 p.m.
Davidson @ No. 20 Richmond, April 16, 3 p.m.
Hope you enjoyed this edition of the Quick on the Draw newsletter. If you liked it or know someone who will, please share! We’ll be back next week for more coverage.