Season Preview: Women's Lacrosse

About The 2026 Cardinals 

Season In Review: The Cardinals’ final season under legendary head coach Linda Michele, who retired last May after 14 years at St. John Fisher, marked one of the most successful in program history. 

Fisher matched the program’s single-season wins record (19-1), had the longest winning streak in Division III (19 games), set a program record for goals in a season (355) and, of course, won the Empire 8 Conference title for the 13th season in a row. The Cardinals drubbed John Carroll 21-5 at home during the first weekend of the NCAA Division III Tournament before falling to No. 7 Salisbury in the Round of 16, two wins shy of the Final Four. 

The Cardinals had three players earn All-America honors from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). Midfielder Sydney Carpenter earned first-team honors, while defender Maddie Lowney garnered second-team honors and attacker Hanna Kumpf was a third-team selection. Each of those three players also earned All-America honors from the USA Lacrosse Magazine, along with goalkeeper Kaylee Gadol and defender Ella Stewart. 

Fisher nearly swept the Empire 8 Conference’s major awards, with Kumpf winning Offensive Player of the Year, Lowney Defensive Player of the Year, Carpenter Midfielder of the Year and Michele Coach of the Year. Gadol shared the E8 Goalkeeper of the Year award with Nazareth’s Allie Klestinec. 

Additionally, the IWLCA honored Michele and her assistants as the Empire Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 

Head Coach: Marykate Edmunds ‘14 (1st season at St. John Fisher, 8th overall as a head coach)

Assistant Coaches: Alexis Bower, Logan Chase and Cassidy King

2025 Graduated Players: Sydney Carpenter, Hanna Kumpf, Olivia DiSanto, Jillian Genthner, Wendi Wojnovich, Mary Fiorentino, Farrah Zalla, Ella Stewart, Taylor Scoville, Isabella Comesso, Emma Biel

2025 Statistical Leaders: Goals (Emma Biel, 52), Points (Sydney Carpenter, 74), Free-Position Goals (Emma Biel, 18), Ground Balls (Maddie Lowney, 53), Caused Turnovers (Maddie Lowney, 44), Draw Controls (Sydney Carpenter, 78), Saves (Kaylee Gadol, 65), 

Returning Players: Chelsea Mesick (So., M/D), Charlotte Walter (So., M), Abby Occhino (So., D), Chloe Scanlan (So., A), Addison Peters (So., D), Jess Andrews (So., D), Ally Stank (So., A), Athena Lazina (So., M), Kaylee Gadol (Jr., G), Maddie Magliocca (Jr., D), Leah Hilton (Jr., D), Taylor Maxam (Jr., A), Chelsea Lopata (Jr., A), Olivia Gonnella (Jr., A), Emily DeVoe (Jr., D), Ellie Leisen (Jr., A), Maggie Cross (Jr., G), Alivia Nieman (Sr., A), Paige Miller (Sr., D/M), Dharma Makarowsky (Sr., A), Kaley Griffin (Sr., M), Sydney Closinski (Sr., A), Megan McGrath (Sr., A), Kayla Schatz (Sr., D), Maddie Lowney (Sr., D)

Freshmen: Kaitlyn Toth (D), Kyra Gross (M), Cara Harrington (M), Camryn Smith (A), Riley Needham (D)

Preseason Rankings: IWLCA (No. 10) / USA Lacrosse Magazine (No. 10)

About Head Coach Marykate Edmunds

Edmunds helped spark the Cardinals’ reign of the Empire 8 as a player in the early 2010s, as she was part of a senior class that captured conference titles in 2012, 2013 and 2014. More than a decade later, and she’s the Cardinals’ head coach with their conference title streak at an incredible 13 seasons in a row. 

Edmunds arrived back in Pittsford this past July after four highly successful seasons (2022-25) as SUNY Geneseo’s head coach. She played and coached at St. John Fisher under Linda Michele, who retired in May 2025 as the winningest head coach in Empire 8 Conference history and one of the most successful in NCAA history. 

Edmunds compiled a 56-20 (.737) record at SUNY Geneseo, leading the Knights to at least 12 wins in each of her four seasons in charge of the program. 

The Knights hit the ground running under Edmunds in 2022 with 15 victories (second most by a team in program history), a SUNYAC title game appearance and their first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2014. Their 19-2 win over Saint Joseph’s (Me.) in the first round marked the program’s third-ever win in the NCAA Tournament. 

Edmunds guided her team to even more success the following year, as the Knights again won 15 games, claimed the first SUNYAC title in program history with an 11-9 victory over SUNY Cortland and won an NCAA Tournament game for a second consecutive year, dominating SUNY Canton 22-4 in the first round. Edmunds and her staff earned the 2023 SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year award. 

The Knights went 14-4 and reached the SUNYAC championship game in 2024. In 2025, their first season in the Empire 8 Conference, they finished 12-7 overall (8-1 E8 regular season) and played in the E8 championship game against St. John Fisher. 

Under Edmunds, Geneseo had 24 All-SUNYAC selections (10 first team), 13 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Region selections (7 first team) and one IWLCA All-American (Hanna Marafioti, 2022 second team). The Knights had the 2022 SUNYAC Rookie of the Year (Maddie Brown), the 2022 SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year (Marafioti) and the 2023 and 2024 SUNYAC Defensive Player of the Year (Tricia Curran). 

In their inaugural season in the Empire 8, the Knights had nine all-conference selections, including three first-team honorees, the second most in the conference behind St. John Fisher, which had 10 All-E8 players. 

Before her stop at Geneseo, Edmunds spent three seasons (2019-21) as SUNY Fredonia’s head coach and two seasons (2017-18) as an assistant at St. John Fisher. The Cardinals went 32-8, won two Empire 8 championships, appeared in the NCAA Tournament twice and had 12 All-E8 selections (five first team) with Edmudns on staff. 

Edmunds began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at SUNY Poly in 2016, where she helped guide the Wildcats to their first-ever SUNYAC championship and NCAA Tournament berth. She served as the head coach of the New Hartford High School (NY) girls lacrosse team in 2015. 

As a Fisher player from 2011-14, Edmunds caused 73 turnovers over 74 games and earned second-team All-Empire 8 honors as a defender in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Edmunds earned her Bachelor of Arts in sport management at St. John Fisher and her Master of Arts in athletic administration at Concordia University-Irvine in Irvine, California.

Numbers And Notes To Know 

• The Cardinals have won 65 consecutive games against Empire 8 opponents, including regular-season and postseason contests. Fisher’s last E8 loss came to Stevens on March 31, 2018 – 2,881 days ago. 
• The Cardinals enter the season with the longest active home winning streak in Division III (16 games).
• The Cardinals have won 26 consecutive games in the Empire 8 postseason tournament. 
• Saturday will mark Fisher’s fifth season-opener against the University of Rochester in the last 10 seasons and fourth in a row. The Cardinals own a 3-1 record in their last four season-opening contests against the Yellowjackets. 
• The Cardinals have had at least one All-American every year since 2019. Fisher has had multiple All-America honorees in each of the last six seasons. 
• With another Empire 8 title this season, the Cardinals would match the Ithaca women’s cross country team’s conference record for consecutive titles. The Bombers won 14 straight E8 championships from 2003-2016. 
• The Cardinals’ 2026 schedule includes two teams ranked in the IWLCA Top-25 to start the season: No. 12 William Smith and No. 22 Colorado College.

Players To Watch (Offense)

Eight Cardinals tallied more than 25 points during the 2025 season. Five of those players graduated last spring – Carpenter, Biel, Kumpf, Mary Fiorentiono and Farrah Zalla – and three of them will be relied upon to lead the offense this season.

Junior attacker Chelsea Lopata amassed 43 assists and scored 25 goals for 68 points last season, the third most on the team behind Carpenter and Biel, who recorded 74 and 70 points, respectively. Lopata’s 43 assists led the team and marked the third most by a Cardinal in a single season behind Courtney Clare’s 45 in 2011 and Jordan Johnson’s 54 in 2017. Lopata ended the season on a heater, tallying five or more points in five of the Cardinals’ final six games, including eight on four goals and four assists in a 21-5 NCAA Tournament win over John Carroll.

An All-Empire 8 selection in each of the last three years, senior midfielder Kaley Griffin set career highs in goals (44, third on the team) and total points (58, fifth on the team) during her junior season. She earned Empire 8 Tournament Most Valuable Player honors after recording seven points on six goals and one assist over Fisher’s wins against Nazareth and Geneseo. Griffin scored four goals or more in seven games last year and had seven in a win over SUNY Brockport, matching the program’s second-best single-game mark. 

Junior attacker Ellie Leisen was well on her way to tremendous offensive numbers last season before suffering a season-ending injury. In only seven games, she posted 26 total points on 15 goals and 11 assists. Leisen scored four goals in Fisher’s wins over Washington College and Ithaca College. 

Senior attackers Sydney Closinski and Dharma Makarowsky also figure to be key contributors for the Cardinals offensively as both set career highs in goals and total points in 2025. Closinski netted 16 goals and amassed 23 total points, while Makarowski had 13 goals and 18 total points.

Players To Watch (Defense)

The Cardinals expect to be stout defensively once again, boasting a unit that includes All-American Maddie Lowney and All-Empire 8 selections Paige Miller and Kayla Schatz. Sophomore Chelsea Mesick and junior Emily DeVoe each played in all 20 of the Cardinals’ games last season, making 19 and 14 starts, respectively. 

Lowney, the Empire 8 Conference's Defensive Player of the Year in each of the last two seasons, caused a program single-season record 44 turnovers, picked up a team-high 53 ground balls and controlled 75 draws, good for second on the team, last year as a junior. She enters the 2026 season third in program history in caused turnovers (103), fifth in draw controls (188) and 10th in grounds balls (164). 

Miller picked up 29 ground balls and caused eight turnovers, and Schatz had 24 ground ball recoveries to go with 11 caused turnovers. 

Mesick had a strong freshman campaign, causing eight turnovers and scooping 15 ground balls. DeVoe recorded 11 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. 

The Cardinals' last season had the fifth-ranked scoring defense in Division III (7.50 goals allowed per game). Only three teams – Washington College (12), Ithaca (10) and Salisbury (10) – scored double-digit goals against Fisher.

In Goal

The Cardinals return two goalkeepers with plenty of experience, juniors Kaylee Gadol and Maggie Cross. 

Gadol ended the 2025 season as the nation's leader in goals against average (5.33). The Empire 8 Co-Goalkeeper of the Year made 65 saves over 18 games (17 starts) and allowed 74 goals for a save percentage of .468 while posting a 17-1 record. 

Cross has played in 22 career games with nine starts. She has made 43 career saves, with 31 of them coming in 2024.

The Draw

The Cardinals, for the last four seasons, had one of the nation’s most dominant draw control winners in Carpenter, who graduated as the Empire 8 Conference’s all-time leader with 504. She’s one of 15 players in Division III history with 500 or more career draw controls. 

Even with her out of the mix, Fisher should remain strong in that area. Lowney has 188 draw controls over the last three years, and Griffin has had 81 in that span, including a career-best 49 last season. Lopata claimed 16 draws last year in limited opportunities.