2024 Women's Lacrosse Season Preview
2023 Record: 10-4 (3-2 Heart)
Starters returning/lost: 6/6
Letterwinners returning/lost: 11/6
Top Returners:
Emily Ferguson, Sr., Waterloo, N.Y.
(First-team all-Heart, 52 goals, 52 draw controls)
Kenzington Winget, Sr., West Jordan, Utah
(First-team all-Heart, 21 points, 22 ground balls)
Ashlyn Hoffman, Sr., Bend, Ore
(Letterwinner, 22 points, 71 draw controls)
Victoria Negron, Sr., Miami, Fla.
(Letterwinner, 9 ground balls)
Notable Losses:
Bailee Royal
(First-team all-Heart)
MacKenzie Petersen
(First-team all-Heart)
Jenna Donlan
(First-team all-Heart)
Several new faces will be expected to fill the void left by a talented crew as the William Penn women's lacrosse team enters the 2024 season.
Interim Head Coach Joshua Bell will once again lead the Statesmen after they went 10-4 last year (3-2 Heart). The squad, which finished 2023 in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Semifinals, returns six starters from the past season, but lost a trio of first-team all-Heart performers.
Two first-team honorees are back, however, in the form of Emily Ferguson (Sr., Waterloo, N.Y., Exercise Science) and Kenzington Winget (Sr., West Jordan, Utah., Political Science) as they head the way this spring.
Attack
Ferguson figures to pace the attackers after posting 52 goals a season ago, while fellow returnesrs Candice Sabatino (Sr., Little Falls, N.Y., Exercise Science), Kiara Baxter (So., Ankeny, Iowa, Software Engineering), and Ally Rauscher (Jr., Santa Clara, Calif., Nursing) are all expected to play much larger roles this year as well.
Morgan O'Connell (Fr., West Des Moines, Iowa, Sports Management) and Krimzon Cleveland (Jr., Fond du Lac, Wis., Exercise Science) are new to the roster, but will be looked upon to provide depth.
Midfield
Winget and Ashlyn Hoffman (Sr. Bend, Ore., Nursing) will hold down the middle of the field after impressive campaigns last spring. Winget played in every game last season, recording eight goals, 13 assists, and 22 ground balls.
Hoffman is slated to take the draw controls this year after winning 71 in 2023, along with 17 goals and 25 ground balls.
Raylee Halbrooks (Sr., Elgin, Okla., English) also returns for the navy and gold. The senior played sparingly a year ago and will be seeking more responsibility in 2024.
Defense
WPU's back line is mostly intact from a year ago with Victoria Negron (Sr., Miami, Florida, Exercise Science), Leanne Gruber (Sr., Eagan, Minn., Psychology), and Kadi Casey (So. Navarre, Fla., New Media) all back on the field. The Statesmen permitted just under 10 goals per game last year.
Fellow returner Shauna Morton (Jr., Gainesville, Fla., Sports Management) is again donning the navy and gold and will join newcomers Gabby Griffin (Fr., Woodward, Iowa, Exercise Science) and Kamryn Nourse (Fr., Dexter, Iowa, Secondary Education) to strength the Statesmen defense.
Goalkeeper
Catrina Dinehart (Grad., Palmyra, N.Y.) will be taking over in front of the cage this spring in her first campaign as a Statesmen.
Schedule/Conference
The Statesmen begin their season Saturday afternoon by traveling to Wisconsin for a non-conference matchup with NCAA Division III program Beloit.
WPU plays its home opener on March 9 against Ottawa (Kan.), one of four contests at Statesmen Community Stadium. The squad, which starts Heart play at home on March 23 versus Mount Mercy, has five Heart matchups on the docket. The top four programs will then qualify for the Heart Tournament which begins on April 17.
