ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy women's lacrosse team is set to open the 2023 campaign with a pair of road games in North Carolina. The Midshipmen begin the season at No. 11 Duke at Koskinen Stadium in Durham, N.C. on Friday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. before taking on East Carolina at Johnson Stadium in Greenville, N.C. on Saturday at 12:00 p.m.
The game against the Blue Devils will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra (available on ESPN+), while the contest against the Pirates will stream on ECUPirates.com.
Navy is 12-3 (.800) all time in season openers. The Midshipmen are 10-1 when opening the season at home, but 2-2 in road games to start the year.
All-Time Series
The game between Navy and Duke will mark the seventh meeting between the two teams. Duke has a 5-1 advantage in the series; however, the Midshipmen claimed the last meeting between the two teams, posting a 16-15 victory over the nationally-ranked Blue Devils during the 2020 season.
Sunday's game between Navy and ECU will mark the first meeting between the two programs.
Flying High at the Super Bowl
The Navy is celebrating 50 years of women flying and, as part of that celebration, Super Bowl LVII will feature an all-female flyover during the National Anthem with former Women's Lacrosse student-athlete Suzelle Thomas ('18) piloting the F-35C Lightning II. Thomas is one of four Naval Academy graduates taking part in the seven-plane flyover, but the only former athlete. (
Good Morning America Feature)
Scouting the Midshipmen
Entering the 2023 season, the Navy women's lacrosse team is looking to build off of an 15-5 campaign a year prior. The Midshipmen return 15 letterwinners, including five starters, while welcoming 12 newcomers into the squad. The Mids are relatively balanced with eight seniors, 11 juniors, 11 sophomores, and 12 freshmen.
Navy returns starters
Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio) and
Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.) who earned 2022 Preseason All-Patriot League distinction. Carson is a three-year starter for the Midshipmen on defense with 48 ground balls, 33 caused turnovers and seven draw controls in 38 games played, while Denton is a two-year letterwinner at attack for Navy who has played in 29 games with 41 points on 35 goals with six assists.
In addition to Carson and Denton, the Midshipmen return
Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.),
Lola Leone (Bay Shore, N.Y.),
Emily Messinese (Manchester, Md.), and
Isabelle Thornburg (Alexandria, Va.) who all earned starts during the 2022 season and are expected to have starting roles during the opening weekend of play.
Returning defenders
Grace Peterson (Mound, Minn.) and
Caroline Stefans (Coral Springs, Fla.) are set to make their first collegiate starts, while goalkeeper
Emma Richardell (Bethesda, Md.), who appeared in nine games during the 2022 season, is slated to begin the season between the posts.
Scouting the Opposition
Duke:
The Blue Devils are coming off of a 16-4 season that ended in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Duke enters the season No. 11 according to the Inside Lacrosse / IWLCA Division Preseason Poll.
Three Blue Devils garnered Preseason All-ACC recognition for the 2023 campaign. Cubby Biscardi earned a spot on the defense team while Olivia Carner and Maddie Jenner were named to the at-large squad.
Duke was picked to finish fourth in the ACC by a poll of the ACC's 10 head coaches. North Carolina was selected the preseason favorite to win the conference with a total of 92 points, followed by Boston College (86), Syracuse (85), Duke (65), Notre Dame (64), Virginia (58), Virginia Tech (36), Louisville (27), Pitt (23) and Clemson (14) to round out the preseason rankings.
East Carolina:
In 2022, the Pirates finished with a .500 record for the first time in program history at 9-9. The team finished 2-3 in conference play, making the AAC tournament before falling to No. 8 Florida. ECU returns 11 players who started at least one game a season ago and five players who etched their named into the program record book in some category.
Frances Kimel and Alexandra Giacolone were named to the American Athletic Conference's 16-player Preseason All-Conference squad, while the Pirates were picked to finish fifth in the AAC Coaches' Preseason Poll for the second year in a row. Florida was unanimously selected to win the league while James Madison earned a single first place vote in their first year in the league. Vanderbilt and Temple both barely beat out the Pirates in third and fourth in the standings. Cincinnati was picked sixth and Old Dominion seventh.
2023 Senior Captains
Navy women's lacrosse head coach Cindy Timchal announced that seniors
Athena Corroon (Greenwich, Conn.) and
Charlotte Ryan (Tully, N.Y.) will be team captains for the 2023 campaign. Corroon will serve as the defensive captain, while Ryan will captain the offense.
Corroon has played in all 38 games of her career, making 24 starts as a defensive midfielder. For her career, the Greenwich, Conn. native has picked up 36 ground balls with 15 caused turnovers, while adding three draw controls. In addition, Corroon has netted a pair of goals with two assists for four total points.
Ryan has played in 24 games in her career, making 17 starts. For her career, she has scored 32 goals with 10 assists for 42 total points. In addition, she has registered 24 ground balls, 14 draw controls, while causing three turnovers. Ryan earned a starting role as a junior.
Class of 2026
The Navy women's lacrosse team added 12 members to its 2023 roster with the addition of the Class of 2026. The freshmen joined the roster over Plebe Summer and have competed with the team throughout the fall season.
The Class of 2026 includes
Marina Bergin (Greenlawn, N.Y.),
Quinn Cramer (Loveland, Ohio),
Maggie DeFabio (Summit, N.J.),
Anna Gotterup (Little Silver, N.J.),
Emma Kennedy (Cooksville, Md.),
Morgan Lewis (Alexandria, Va.),
Josie Mazzeo (Virginia Beach, Va.),
Kat McAteer (Bohemia, N.Y.),
Maura Murphy (Woodbine, Md.),
Bella Paradiso (Falls Church, Va.),
Avery Robertson (New Market, Md.), and
Ava Yovino (Parkland, Fla.).
Patriot League Preseason
In a vote cast by the league's coaches and sports information directors, Navy women's lacrosse student-athletes
Erin Carson (New Albany, Ohio) and
Leelee Denton (Nashville, Tenn.) were named Preseason All-Patriot League, it was announced by the conference office. Additionally, Navy has been picked to finish third in the 2023 Patriot League Preseason Poll.
The 2023 Preseason All-Patriot League Team was unveiled and the 16-woman team is made up of two graduate students, eight seniors, five juniors, and one sophomore. Thirteen of the 16 preseason honorees were named to one of the two 2022 All-Patriot League teams, including seven first-team selections and three major award winners.
Eight of the League's 10 teams placed players on the preseason team. Loyola had a league-best four selections each, while Army and Lehigh were second with three representatives. Navy placed two on the list with American, Boston, Bucknell, and Colgate rounding out the team with one selection each.
The Patriot League announced its preseason poll with Loyola secured 18 of the 20 first-place votes (eligible for only 18 due to not being able to vote for your own team) and amassed 166 points to top the poll. Army was second with 152 points, while Navy accounted for the remaining two first-place votes and totaled 136 points to finish third in the balloting. Lehigh (112), Colgate (90) and American (77) make up the top-six. Bucknell (59), Boston University (49), Holy Cross (45) and Lafayette (18) round out the preseason poll.
Proposed Navy Lacrosse Center
The Naval Academy Athletic Association in conjunction with the USNA Foundation has accepted a leadership gift from an anonymous donor earmarked for constructing a new 33,000-square-foot lacrosse facility on the Yard. Additional commitments have also been realized and as a result, the NAAA is coordinating development efforts towards raising the $22 million necessary for construction. The process is advancing in cooperation with NAVFAC Washington and pending final endorsement by the Secretary of the Navy. The anticipated facility would be constructed adjacent to the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility on the Academy grounds.
The two-story Navy Lacrosse Center would celebrate the history and traditions of Navy lacrosse, while serving as a testament to the Naval Academy's commitment to the Physical Mission of the Brigade of Midshipmen. The men and women who play for Navy Lacrosse would train, learn and build relationships in one of college lacrosse's preeminent facilities. Every area and detail of the Navy Lacrosse Center is designed for the development of our midshipmen and would provide the resources for the Navy men's and women's lacrosse programs to compete for and win championships at the highest level.
Coaches' offices, locker rooms and wardrooms for both the men's and women's programs would provide cutting-edge technology and amenities to include athletic training and rehabilitation spaces, a strength and conditioning facility, a nutrition center and theater. Additionally, a rooftop terrace that features a 360-degree view of the Naval Academy and the Severn River is planned and would provide an inviting gathering space for recruits and their families, as well as a space to host alumni functions.
