Women's Lacrosse | 6/17/2026 2:30:00 PM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – St. John Fisher University women's lacrosse head coach Marykate Edmunds and her assistants Alexis Bower, Logan Chase and Cassidy King have been named the NCAA Division III 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 consecutive year and third time overall that the Cardinals' women's lacrosse staff has been honored as the IWLCA Empire Region Coaching Staff of the Year. Longtime head coach Linda Michele and her assistant coaches won the award in 2021 and 2025, two of the most successful seasons in program history.
A 2014 St. John Fisher graduate, Edmunds arrived back in Pittsford last summer after four highly successful seasons (2022-25) as SUNY Geneseo's head coach. She played for and coached under Michele, who retired after the 2025 season as the winningest head coach in Empire 8 Conference history and one of the most successful in NCAA history,
The Cardinals kept their grip on the Empire 8 and remained one of the most competitive teams in the country in Edmunds' first season leading the program. Fisher captured its 13th consecutive conference title (16th overall) and finished 16-5 overall, marking the program's seventh season with more than 15 wins and second in a row. Additionally, the Cardinals recorded a win in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year with a 14-7 victory over Western Connecticut and maintained a pair of lengthy winning streaks. They will begin next season having won 76 consecutive games against E8 teams (regular season and postseason) and 24 consecutive games at Growney Stadium, the longest-active home winning streak in Division III.
St. John Fisher's players once again piled up conference, regional and national honors this spring, a list headlined by All-Americans Maddie Lowney and Ellie Leisen. Lowney earned second-team honors from the IWLCA and first-team honors from USA Lacrosse Magazine, while Leisen claimed honorable mention recognition from USA Lacrosse Magazine.
Lowney and Leisen also earned first-team IWLCA All-Region honors along with teammate Kaley Griffin. Paige Miller and Chelsea Mesick were second-team All-Region selections.
The Cardinals led the Empire 8 with 12 All-Conference honorees, including six first-teamers, and claimed three of the league's five major player accolades. The E8 named Leisen its Offensive Player of the Year, Griffin its Midfielder of the Year and Lowney its Defensive Player of the Year.
Edmunds and her assistants also won the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year award in May.
