We're Hosting: Women's Lacrosse Set To Begin NCAA Tournament Journey On Home Turf

Women's Lacrosse Earns First-Round Bye For NCAA Tournament, Will Host Opening-Weekend Games At Growney Stadium

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The No. 14 St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team will have a chance to start a run in the NCAA Division III Tournament on its home turf. 

The 18-0 Cardinals, one of two unbeaten teams left in Division III, will host opening-weekend games at Growney Stadium. They will face the winner of Saturday's first-round game between Grove City (12-6) and John Carroll (15-2) at 1 p.m. on Sunday. 

The Cardinals, who beat SUNY Geneseo to win their 13th consecutive Empire Conference 8 title on Saturday, have hosted NCAA Tournament games three other times in program history (2016, 2018 and 2019). 

The Cardinals have won the Empire 8 and reached the NCAA Tournament every year under head coach Linda Michele, who took over the Fisher program before the 2012 season (note: there was no E8 championship due to COVID-19 in 2020). The Cardinals need one more victory to match the program single-season record (19 in 2019). 

Grove City earned its second straight invitation to the national tournament by defeating Chatham, 11-7, in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship Tournament title game. 

John Carroll will be making its second appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Blue Streaks lost to Mount Union in the Ohio Athletic Conference title game this past Saturday. 

John Carroll beat Grove City 16-9 to open its season back on Feb. 22. 

The Cardinals have not previously matched up against either team traveling to Pittsford. 

About St. John Fisher

Head Coach: Linda Michele (16th season, 228-67 career, including 205-56 at Fisher and 23-11 at SUNY Brockport)

2025 Record: 18-0 (9-0 E8), won the Empire 8 Conference title

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 15th

Streak: 13 tournament appearances in a row

NCAA Tournament Record: 10-14 all-time (9-12 under Michele)

Best Run: The Cardinals beat Cazenovia College, Catholic University, No. 16 William Smith and No. 10 Messiah en route to the program’s first-ever NCAA Final Four in 2021. 

• 2025 Roster
• 2025 Schedule
• 2025 Stats

St. John Fisher Game Notes

All-Empire 8 Honors Released 

• The No. 14 St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team claimed five major awards and landed a conference-best 10 players on the All-Empire 8 teams for the 2025 season, the conference office announced on Monday morning. 
• The Empire 8 named senior Hanna Kumpf Offensive Player of the Year, senior Sydney Carpenter Midfielder of the Year, junior Maddie Lowney Defensive Player of the Year and sophomore Kaylee Gadol Co-Goalkeeper of the Year. The Cardinals' coaching staff, led by Linda Michele, garnered Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the fifth consecutive season.
• An Empire 8-high six Fisher players earned first-team honors, including Kumpf, Carpenter, Lowney, Gadol, senior midfielder Emma Biel and senior defender Ella Stewart. 
• Senior attacker Mary Fiorentino, junior midfielder Kaley Griffin and junior defender Paige Miller were named to the All-E8 second team. Junior Kayla Schatz received third-team honors. 

St. John Fisher Records And Facts

• The Cardinals have won 65 consecutive games against E8 teams.
• Fisher has won 26 consecutive games in the conference tournament. 
• The Cardinals have won the E8 and reached the NCAA Tournament every year under head coach Michele, who took over the Fisher program before the 2012 season (note: there was no E8 championship due to COVID-19 in 2020). 
• The Cardinals went unbeaten in the regular season (16-0) for the first time in program history this season. 
• Michele, who has 228 career victories (23 came at Brockport in 2010-11), won her 200th game as Fisher’s head coach on April 16 against Brockport. 
• The Cardinals need just one more victory to match the single-season program record (19 in 2019). 
• Carpenter (126 assists and counting) passed Jordan Johnson (122 assists from 2014-17) for Fisher’s all-time assists record in the win over Brockport. 
• Carpenter needs just five more points to pass Taylor Hughes (304 points from 2011-14) for the program and E8 career points records. She currently ranks second with 300. 
• Carpenter has 174 career goals, good for the fourth-most in Fisher history. 
• Carpenter, a two-time All-American, holds the Fisher and E8 records in draw controls (503). She also ranks fifth in program history in caused turnovers (91) and eighth in ground balls (170). 
• Kumpf enters NCAA Tournament play with 59 total points on 42 goals and 17 assists. She has 123 career goals over her three seasons at Fisher, good for eighth on the program's all-time goals list. 
• Kumpf has tallied multiple points in all but one of the Cardinals' 18 games this season. She's totaled at least three points in 14 of those contests. 
• The conference's Defensive Player of the Year two years in a row, Lowney has caused 38 turnovers, picked up 48 ground balls and controlled 63 draws this season. Her 38 caused turnovers are tied for the fourth most by a Fisher player in a single season. 
• Lowney ranks third in program history in career caused turnovers (97) and sixth in career draw controls (176). 
• Gadol leads the nation in goals against average (4.95) and ranks 46th in save percentage (.483). She joined Lilly Goodsell as the second player in Fisher history to win Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year earlier this week. 
• Sophomore attacker Chelsea Lopata has tallied at least five points in each of the Cardinals' last four games. She has 26 total points on seven goals and an impressive 19 assists in that span. 
• Lopata's 38 assists are the fifth most by a Fisher player in a season. 
• Griffin was named MVP of the Empire 8 Conference Championship Tournament. She had seven points on six goals and one assist to go along with nine draw controls over two games. She had a goal, an assist and controlled seven draws in the championship game. 
• Griffin, who recently surpassed 100 career points, ranks third on the team in goals and fifth in total points (52). 
• Biel, who leads Fisher in goals (48), surpassed 100 career points against Nazareth in the E8 Semifinals.
• Fiorentino has 193 career points (seventh in Fisher history) and 74 assists (sixth in Fisher history). 

Other Numbers To Know

• The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 329-87 overall and have been particularly dominant in the first quarter of games. They have outscored their opponents by 87 (109-22) in the opening quarter this season.
• The Cardinals enter the NCAA Tournament with the top scoring defense in Division III (4.83 goals allowed per game). 
• The Cardinals rank second in the country in clearing percentage (90.6%) and scoring margin (+13.44). 
• The Cardinals rank third in Division III in scoring offense (18.28 goals per game) and points per game (28.22). They stand sixth in assists per game (9.94).

About Grove City

Head Coach: Emma Olson (1st season, 12-6 career)

2025 Record: 12-6 (9-0 PAC), won the Presidents' Athletic Conference Championship

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2nd

• 2025 Roster
• 2025 Schedule and Results
• 2025 Stats

Grove City Notes (Click Here)

About John Carroll

Head Coach: Kelsey Shewbridge (2nd season, 22-10)

2025 Record: 15-2 (6-1 OAC), reached the Ohio Athletic Conference title game

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2nd

• 2025 Roster
• 2025 Schedule and Results
• 2025 Stats

John Carroll Notes (Click Here)