Women's Lacrosse | 5/15/2026 3:00:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Five players from the St. John Fisher University women's lacrosse team have been named to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) 2026 Division III All-Empire Region Teams, announced by the ogranization on Friday.
Senior defender Maddie Lowney, senior midfielder Kaley Griffin and junior attacker Ellie Leisen earned first-team honors. Sophomore midfielder/defender Chelsea Mesick and senior midfielder/defender Paige Miller were named to the second team.
Griffin, Leisen, Mesick and Miller are first-time IWLCA All-Region honorees. Lowney has been honored in each of her four collegiate seasons.
The greatest defensive player in program history, Lowney led the Cardinals this season with 64 caused turnovers, 85 draw controls and 67 ground ball recoveries. She also contributed three goals on the offensive end.
Lowney, a two-time Empire 8 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honoree, surpassed St. John Fisher Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Laurie Quackenbush for both the program and Empire 8 career records for caused turnovers in April. A few weeks later, she broke the program's single‑season caused turnovers record, one she had set just last year. She finished her collegiate career with 167 caused turnovers (2.1 per game).
The four-time IWLCA first-team All-Region selection is the only player in program history to eclipse 120 caused turnovers, 200 ground balls and 200 draw controls. She ranks third in Fisher history in ground balls (231) and draw controls (273).
Griffin recently joined Sydney Carpenter as the second-ever Empire 8 Midfielder of the Year award winner. The four-time All-Empire 8 selection made significant contributions in every facet of the game for the Cardinals this season with 50 total points on 39 goals and 11 assists to go with 77 draw controls, 24 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. Griffin is seventh in program history in career goals (134) and draw controls (158).
Leisen battled her way back from an injury-shortened sophomore season to become an offensive force for the Cardinals. The Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year posted 92 points on 53 goals and 39 assists – career highs and top-10 single‑season marks in program history across the board. Her 92 points marked the third-most by a Cardinal in a season.
Leisen tallied five or more points in 11 games, highlighted by a career‑best 10 on four goals and six helpers in a 22-1 win over Hartwick on April 25. She posted eight points in wins over SUNY Poly (4 goals, 4 assists) and Nazareth (3 goals, 5 assists).
Miller, recently named a first-team All-Empire 8 honoree, set career highs this season with 24 caused turnovers, 45 ground ball recoveries and 14 draw controls. Also a first-team All-E8 selection this spring, Mesick caused 27 turnovers, picked up 37 ground balls and amassed 13 points with eight goals and five assists on the offensive end.
The Cardinals have amassed 38 total IWLCA All-Region honors (28 first team) since 2012.
