St. John Fisher University Athletics

Marykate Edmunds returned to her alma mater in July 2025 as the fifth women’s lacrosse head coach in St. John Fisher University history. 

In her first season leading the program, the Cardinals kept their grip on the Empire 8 Conference and remained one of the most competitive teams in all of Division III. Fisher captured its 14th consecutive E8 title (16th overall) and finished 16-5 overall, marking the program's seventh season with more than 15 wins. Additionally, the Cardinals recorded a win in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year with a 14-7 victory over Western Connecticut. 

Led by Maddie Lowney, one of the greatest players in Fisher history, the Cardinals’ defense ranked among the nation’s best in 2026. Fisher finished ninth in DIII in caused turnovers per game (14.33) and 15th in scoring defense (6.48 goals allowed per game). Lowney caused 64 turnovers – tied for eighth in the country – and ended her collegiate career with 167, the most by a player in Empire 8 history. 

St. John Fisher’s players once again piled up conference, regional and national honors, a list headlined by a pair of All-Americans in Lowney and Ellie Leisen. Both also earned first-team All-Region honors from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) along with teammate Kaley Griffin, while Paige Miller and Chelsea Mesick garnered second-team All-Region accolades. 

The Cardinals led the Empire 8 with 12 All-Conference selections, including six first-teamers, and claimed three of the league's five major player awards. 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 staff were honored as the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year and the IWLCA Division III Empire Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 

A 2014 St. John Fisher graduate, Edmunds arrived back in Pittsford after four successful seasons (2022-25) as SUNY Geneseo's head coach. She played for and coached under longtime Fisher head coach Linda 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.

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 Edmunds 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. The Cardinals won the Empire 8 in each of those three seasons, kicking off a dominant streak of conference titles that reached 13 in May 2025. 

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.

Year By Year Results

By The Numbers Under Edmunds At St. John Fisher

All-Empire 8 Honors Earned: 12 (6 first team)

IWLCA All-Region Honors Earned: 5 (3 first team)

IWLCA All-America Honors Earned: 1… Maddie Lowney (2026)

USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America Honors Earned: 2… Maddie Lowney (2026), Ellie Leisen (2026)

Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year Winners: 1… Ellie Leisen (2026)

Empire 8 Midfielder of the Year Winners: 1… Kaley Griffin (2026)

Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year Winners: 1… Maddie Lowney (2026)

Empire 8 Tournament MVP Winners: 1… Maddie Lowney (2026)

Updated 7/6/2026