The #1 Middlebury women's lacrosse team heads to Rochester, New York to square off with #4 Tufts in an NCAA Semifinal on Friday at 12:00 p.m. The Panthers are attempting to secure a spot in the national championship for the 15th time and look to hoist their fifth consecutive NCAA crown.

ABOUT MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury is making its 30th appearance in the national tournament and has advanced to the semifinal round for the 25th time, including every year that it has competed since 2015.
• The Panthers are looking to win their 12th title in program history.
• The program has tallied 28 straight victories in NCAA Tournament action. 
• Middlebury earned a first-round bye as one of the top four seeds before defeating St. John Fisher 17-4 in the second round. The Panthers downed #18 Rowan 21-4 in the third round and topped #14 The College of New Jersey 19-4 in the national quarterfinal.
• The Panthers rank in the top 10 nationally in winning percentage (first - 1.000), scoring defense (first - 4.95), draw control percentage (third - .680), clearing percentage (fourth - .897) and scoring margin (fifth - +9.48).

PANTHERS TO WATCH

• During the NCAA Quarterfinal, Caroline Adams tallied two markers and added three helpers to ascend into second place in the program's single-season point ranks with 109. The senior's totals in points, assists (41), goals (68) and draw controls (120) pace the squad. Adams looks to become the fifth player in program history with 100 career goals and 100 career assists. She enters the semifinal round with 164 markers and 91 helpers. She also became the first player to surpass 400 career draw controls earlier this season, currently sitting at 469.
• Haley Hamilton has co-starred alongside Adams in the scoring column, ranking second on the team with 56 tallies and 65 points. The Panther has logged three or more markers in 11 contests, including a four-goal flurry in the NESCAC Semifinals. 
• Skylar Lach has been on a hot streak as of late. The senior has 19 goals across her last seven contests, headlined by six against Williams in the regular-season finale and a hat trick in the quarterfinal victory over The College of New Jersey.
• Other offensive contributors are Parker Hanson (12G, 29A), Siobhan Colin (22G, 15A) and Maeve Lee (33G, 2A). Lee posted a career-best four tallies in the third-round triumph, followed by a hat trick against the Lions.
• On the other end, Caroline Messer has anchored the nation's best scoring defense, causing 42 cough-ups and digging out 54 ground balls. Jaime Patton-Martin has bolstered the unit with 23 miscues and 20 rollers.
• Other contributors on the defensive side have been Emma McCann (28GB, 28CT), Lauren Giuriceo (25GB, 20CT) and Macy Sweeny (24GB, 16CT).
• Lucy Bishop and Adams have dominated the draw circle throughout the campaign. Bishop is second on the squad with 99 victories while scooping up 27 grounders and forcing 19 miscues.
• Between the pipes, Elizabeth Savage owns a 5.02 goals against average (GAA), good for the top mark across all three NCAA divisions. She has amassed 79 stops across 21 starts and surpassed the 200-save threshold during the NESCAC Championship win.

ABOUT TUFTS

• Tufts is making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and reached the national semifinals for the fifth time. 
• The Jumbos have contested the penultimate round four times in the last six years. The squad has advanced to the title tilt on three occasions, most recently last spring.
• The program owns a 27-10 overall mark in tournament play.
• Tufts secured its place among the final four with second and third round wins over #23 Haverford (17-7) and #13 Gettysburg (16-7) before grinding out a 16-10 victory over #20 Williams in the quarterfinals. 
• This season, the Jumbos possess a 17-3 record and are ranked fourth nationally in the latest IWLCA poll. The squad went 8-2 in NESCAC play, with its losses coming to Middlebury and Amherst, before falling 10-9 in overtime to Wesleyan in the conference semifinals. 
• Tufts ranks in the top 25 in Division III in win percentage (tied for seventh - .850), clearing percentage (13th - .877), shots on goal per game (14th - 25.25), shots per game (19th - 33.15), scoring offense (18th - 15.65) and scoring margin (+7.75).

JUMBOS TO WATCH

• Eleanor Helm has headlined the squad with 97 points on 49 markers and 48 helpers, ranking third on the team with 32 ground balls.
• Allie Zorn boasts a team-high 58 goals and 13 free-position tallies, while her 85 points are second. Schuyler Lloyd has contributed 48 goals and 31 assists.
• Sophie Haas (37GB, 26CT) and Nicola Donlan (35GB, 18CT) have powered Tufts on the defensive end. Elsa Schutt is among the NESCAC leaders with 93 draw controls.
• Devon Chipman has stood tall between the Jumbo pipes this season. Across 20 starts, the goalie has accumulated 105 saves and a 16-3 record.

ABOUT SALISBURY

• Salisbury is making its 26th appearance on the national stage and is looking for its fifth NCAA Championship. 
• The Sea Gulls have reached the semifinal round for the 15th time and the third in the last six years. The squad has advanced to the title game 10 times, most recently in 2024. 
• Salisbury joins Middlebury as the only undefeated teams entering championship weekend. The Sea Gulls own a 20-0 record and slot third in the latest IWLCA poll. The program holds a 66-21 mark in NCAA Tournament competition. 
• Salisbury reached the semifinals by defeating Union (N.Y.) 17-9, #14 York (Pa.) 10-5 and #19 Christopher Newport 17-4.
• Audrey Harrington spearheads the offense, ranking first on the team in points (86) and assists (41), while she is second in goals (45). Miranda Mears leads the squad with 59 tallies and is second with 60 points, while her six free-position tallies are second.
• Lauren Hackett (28G, 27A) sits at 55 points coming into the weekend, while Avery Dunbar is also above the 45-point plateau (18G, 28A). Dunbar's eight free-position conversions pace the Sea Gulls.
• In the draw circle, Abby Fleishell (65) and Regan McDonnell (63) are a formidable duo. Fleishell has team-best totals with 50 ground balls and 35 caused turnovers, while McDonnell has 37 points and 33 goals.
• Reagan Davis has started 18 contests along the backline with 23 rollers and turning over 17 opponents.
• Starting in every game this spring has been Paige Ellis, who is 20th nationally in GAA (7.33) and has 104 saves with a 19-0 record. 

ABOUT WESLEYAN

• Wesleyan is making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and looks to claim its initial national championship. 
• The Cardinals have made the national semifinals for the second time with the previous coming in 2019.
• Wesleyan sits at 18-3 and is victorious in eight of its last nine contests. The squad, which ranks #2 in the latest IWLCA poll, is 13-7 in the national bracket.
• The Cardinals defeated Cortland 18-3 in the second round before easing past #21 University of Chicago (14-7) and edging #10 Trinity (7-5) to punch their ticket to Rochester.
• Addie Cummings leads her team in goals (45) and points (62) across 20 starts and has scored in 18 contests this spring. Highlighting her year was a nine-point effort (6G, 3A) against Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Dylan Green ranks second on the team with 52 points, including a squad-best 20 assists. Other contributors include Mya Waryas (31G, 13A), Elle Priesing (24G, 13A) and Bridget Horst (22G, 12A).
• Kyra Browne and Lindsey Diomede lead the squad with 60 and 53 draw controls, respectively. Diomede has been a force defensively, causing a NESCAC-best 77 turnovers and ranking eighth in Division III in caused turnovers per game (3.67) while scooping 62 rollers. Horst has chipped in 43 draw controls, 24 ground balls and 23 forced miscues.
• In goal, Izzy Weintraub has served as one of the nation's top goalies. Her 5.97 GAA ranks sixth nationally, while her 0.518 save percentage sits seventh in Division III.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MIDDLEBURY

• Middlebury and Tufts meet for the second time this season and the 34th matchup, with the Panthers holding a 28-5 advantage. The navy and white edged the Jumbos 11-10 on March 28 in Massachusetts. The programs have squared off three times in the NCAA Tournament, with the Panthers winning two of the three contests. The Jumbos slipped past Middlebury (13-12) in the 2011 quarterfinal, while the Panthers claimed wins in the 2022 (13-5) and 2025 (10-9) title contests.
• If Salisbury advances, the programs will play for the 12th meeting all-time, with the Sea Gulls holding a narrow 6-5 edge. The sides have played six times in the NCAA Tournament, with each side winning three times. The Panthers have won each of the last two decisions with triumphs in the 2019 (14-9) and 2024 (16-5) title tilts.
• Should Wesleyan prevail, it will be the third showdown this spring and the 30th all-time meeting with the Panthers holding a 28-1 advantage. The programs met twice this season, as Middlebury claimed a thrilling 5-4 win on April 4 and a hard-fought 7-5 victory in the NESCAC Championship game. The Panthers and Cardinals have met once in the NCAA bracket, with Middlebury securing a 16-8 win in the 2019 semifinals.

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION

• Schedule 
  • Friday, May 22 (Semifinals)
    • Tufts vs. Middlebury - 12:00 p.m. 
    • Salisbury vs. Wesleyan - 3:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 24 (Championship)
    • Winners of Semifinals - 3:00 p.m. 
• Championship Central
• RIT Microsite
• Bracket

The winners of the Friday semifinals advance to the championship on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.