Women's Lacrosse | 6/18/2025 2:30:00 PM

PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team's coaching staff, led by head coach Linda Michele, has been named the 2025 Empire Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), the organization announced on Wednesday. 

This marks the second time that Michele and her staff have been honored by the IWLCA. They also won Empire Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors in 2021, when the Cardinals reached the NCAA Division III Final Four. 

The Cardinals had a historic final season under Michele, who recently announced her retirement from coaching. Fisher went 19-1 overall, won its 13th consecutive Empire 8 Conference title, set the program's single-season scoring record with 355 goals and tied the program's single-season wins record, set by Michele's 2019 team that went 19-2. The Cardinals reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time under Michele this past season. 

A single-season program record three Fisher players earned 2025 IWLCA All-American honors, including first-team pick Sydney Carpenter, second-team selection Maddie Lowney and honorable mention Hanna Kumpf. Those three, along with teammates Emma Biel and Ella Stewart, also earned first-team IWLCA All-Region honors. 

The Cardinals claimed five major Empire 8 awards and landed a conference-best 10 players on the All-E8 teams. Kumpf won E8 Offensive Player of the Year, Carpenter Midfielder of the Year, Lowney Defensive Player of the Year and Kaylee Gadol Goalkeeper of the Year. Michele and her staff earned E8 Coaching Staff of the Year honors for the fifth year in a row. 

Over her 16-year collegiate coaching career, Michele went 229-57, including 206-57 at St. John Fisher (14 years) and 23-11 at SUNY Brockport (two years). The Cardinals won the Empire 8 and played in the NCAA Tournament every year under Michele, who produced a winning record in each of her seasons as a head coach.