As the spring seasons begin on College Hill, the women’s lacrosse program is looking to turn over a new leaf after going 0-6 in the Covid shortened 2021 season. In Head Coach Katie McConnell’s first full season, the Leopards are determined to turn heads.

“My hope for the season is to have a full season. The past two years being cut short has been challenging and unfortunate,” McConnell said. “I want our seniors to have a full senior year that they can look back on and be proud of.”

The new season comes with the naming of new captains. This year the Leopards will be led by senior attacker Caroline Garti and junior attacker Sarah Bennett.

“In terms of leadership, our captains [Garti] and [Bennett] are both very positive and vocal and have done a great job setting the expectations for the team,” McConnell said.

As a two-time selection to the All-Patriot League honor roll, Garti was the clear choice for captain.

Bennett will begin only her second full season as a player at Lafayette after the shortened 2020 and 2021 seasons. In those six games in 2021, she emerged as a leader and as a valuable asset to the team.

“After the last two seasons, we’ve understood more than ever that we have very limited opportunities to play together,” Bennett said. “We have a full season lined up and have an incredible opportunity in front of us.”

The team is undergoing further change, welcoming 15 new signees to the class of 2026. Hailing from six different states, this new class looks to further a culture change that has been stunted.

“I am definitely excited about our incoming class,” McConnell said. “We put a lot of time into this recruiting class and I am proud of the student-athletes we have coming in.”

As an incoming goalkeeper, Kennedy Carr brings her four years as a high school varsity player to College Hill. She saved 100 goals in her junior season and was named a captain in her senior year.

Carr’s future defenders will be Annalise Correia, Kendra Daly, Amelia Duncan, Molly Haas and Jordan Siemonsen. All five of these players have served as captains for their respective teams and the majority of them received honor roll nominations for their work in the classroom.

“Being an athlete at Lafayette is a one-of-a-kind experience that I’m excited for them to be a part of,” Bennett said.

Playing in the midfield for the Leopards will be the battery of Madeline Cannon, Olivia Kelley, Katie Marrs and Mallory Ngitngit. Lafayette’s midfield has graduated a lot of talent in the past couple of years and of the seven seniors graduating this year, four will be from this position.

Lastly, the future of the Leopards’ attack will be led by Charlotte Edwards, Liv Hover, Mia Putzi, Kristin Igneri and Megan Igneri. The up-and-coming goal scorers for Lafayette all were multi-sport athletes in high school while also all being named to the honor roll for the majority of their time in high school.

“I know the next class is a big one. I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring to the team and how they adapt to the systems the coaches have in place,” Bennett said.

Now that signing day is over, the team is fully looking ahead to the season. Though the road ahead may be daunting, they have had a full fall camp for the first time since 2019 to prepare.

“I think right now the team is really excited and focused on this upcoming season,” McConnell said. “Throughout the fall and through preseason we’ve continued to communicate with each other, learn each other’s strengths and how to highlight them for the betterment of the team.”

In their first game of the season, the Maroon and White will hit the road to play Drexel this Sunday at 11 a.m.