The defending national champion Middlebury women’s lacrosse team opens its season on Sunday, March 5. The top-ranked Panthers won their eighth NCAA Championship last spring and their third title in the last seven seasons.

The program returns a strong lineup from a year ago, including a trio of Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Americans led by Jane Earley and Hope Shue. Earley, a two-time All-American, was named the 2022 IWLCA National Player and Attacker of the Year and the 2022 NESCAC Player of the Year, the 2022 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and an all-tournament team honoree. The all-region selection concluded the season with a pair of school records, scoring 80 goals and accumulating 99 points. Shue was a third-team All-American and the only first-year player selected for the honor. She was also tabbed First-Team All-Region and ended the season with 56 goals, 61 points and 34 draw controls. Kelcey Dion scored 26 markers and tallied 17 assists, recording at least one goal in 18 games.

The midfield will be guided by Susan Rowley, Maggie Coughlin and Niki Mormile. Rowley was third on the team a season ago with 35 goals, including four during the NCAA Championship weekend. Coughlin ranked second on the squad with 21 assists to go along with 18 tallies. During Middlebury's NCAA Tournament win over SUNY Geneseo, she posted a career-best eight points (4G, 4A). Mormile tallied 21 goals and dished out 10 helpers last spring. She scored four times, including the game-winning goal during the NCAA Semifinal win over Gettysburg.

Defensively, the Panthers return many players that helped the program rank second nationally by limiting the opposition to 5.87 goals per game. Anchoring that unit will be All-American Erica Barr and all-region honoree Kylie Wilson. Barr paced the team in groundballs (46), caused turnovers (36) and draw controls (84), tying a program single-game record with 12 in the NCAA Semifinal. Wilson started every game and was second on the team with 28 caused turnovers and 36 groundballs. Chloe Newman (28 GB, 18 CT) got the starting nod in each contest, while Madison Paylor (29 GB, 25 CT) and Grace Mumford (9 GB, 9 CT) each logged significant playing time.

In front of the goal, Annie Enrietto and Gina Driscoll return for Middlebury. Enrietto was an NCAA All-Tournament selection and started 16 games, including all five during the Panthers’ title run. Her 6.01 goals against average (GAA) was the best among Division III goalies, surrendering just 19 goals with 32 saves over five games in the NCAA Tournament. Driscoll (6-1, 5.50 GAA) logged significant minutes last season and will battle for time in the Panther crease.

Kate Livesay ’03, the 2022 IWLCA Division III National Coach of the Year, returns for her eighth season at Middlebury. She is joined again by Dani Ellis and Amy Patton.