Women's Lacrosse | 8/26/2026 3:30:00 AM
PITTSFORD, N.Y. – St. John Fisher University's Maddie Lowney has been named the 2025-26 Division III Commissioner's Association (DIIICA) Region III Women's Student-Athlete of the Year, DIIICA announced on Wednesday.
Each of the 10 regional winners advanced to the national ballot for consideration for 2025-26 DIIICA Women's Sport Student-Athlete of the Year, which will be announced Sept. 3. Voting for the regional awards was conducted by the commissioners within each of the ten regions.
Named the 2025-26 Empire 8 Woman of the Year in July, Lowney helped lead the St. John Fisher women's lacrosse team to four Empire 8 titles, 39 straight wins against conference opponents (including regular season and postseason games) and four wins in the NCAA Tournament while playing in 81 games from 2023-26. The Baldwin, Maryland, native graduated as a two-time Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) All-American and four-time IWLCA All-Region first-team selection.
Lowney is the first St. John Fisher student-athlete to be named DIIICA Region III Women's Student-Athlete of the Year. Noah Campanelli (baseball) was named the DIIICA Men's Student-Athlete of the Year in 2023.
One of the most decorated players in conference history, Lowney claimed the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year award in 2023 and the conference's Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024, 2025 and 2026. She was a four-time All-Empire 8 first-team selection, four-time Empire 8 All-Tournament Team pick and the Empire 8 Championship Most Valuable Player in 2026.
Lowney enjoyed a tremendous senior season, serving as team captain and recording career-best totals of 85 draw controls, 64 caused turnovers, an E8 single-season record, and 67 ground balls, the most in the conference. She finished her remarkable career as the conference's all-time leader with 167 caused turnovers (2.1 per game). Additionally, she ranks third in St. John Fisher history in ground balls (231) and draw controls (273)
Lowney recently earned her bachelor's degree in both legal studies and sustainability while carrying a tremendous 3.91 grade-point average and graduating summa cum laude. She is a six-time member of the Empire 8 President's List for maintaining at least a 3.75 grade-point average, while earning St. John Fisher Dean's List honors eight times.
Lowney won the St. John Fisher Sustainability and Excellence in Legal Studies awards in 2026 and was a member of the Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society. She earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors twice and a spot on the IWLCA DIII Academic Honor Roll three times.
Off the field and outside the classroom, Lowney excelled in engagement within the greater Rochester community. She served as a Rochester Ecology Partners Volunteer, created an interactive workbook on Rochester-area pollinators for younger students and organized a planting and cleanup event at Griffin Garden with the World of Inquiry School. In addition, she attended programs on law school admissions, legal careers and LSAT preparation, while connecting with fellow legal studies students. Lowney also interned with the Monroe County Public Defender's Office, meeting with clients, visiting incarcerated individuals, helping prepare them for court proceedings and assisting her mentor attorney by reviewing discovery materials and writing evidence summaries.
For several years, Lowney supported beach cleanup and community outreach efforts in Ocean City, Maryland, including adopting a beach, collecting more than 400 pounds of trash in one weekend and assisting with a youth leadership and surf camp.
