Women's Lacrosse | 5/15/2026 3:15:00 PM
Eleven student-athletes from three Empire 8 institutions were named to the 2026 Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Empire Region Team. Senior Maddie Lowney of St. John Fisher University was named an all-region selection for the fourth straight season.
Lowney, the 2026 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, Ellie Leisen, the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year and Kaley Griffin, the E8 Midifleder of the Year were first team selections. Fellow St. John Fisher standouts Chelsea Mesick and Paige Miller were second team selections. SUNY Geneseo's Natalie Long, Rosemary Mahoney, Violet Piccinini and Katie Rajkowski were second team selections as well as 2026 Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year, Arianna Reed, and Christina Ross from SUNY Brockport.
Nine of these student-athletes previously earned 2026 All-Empire 8 first team accolades.
A total of 256 student-athletes were selected in the eight regions for 2026. These student-athletes are now eligible to be named to the national IWLCA All-American team that will be released on May 22.
Lowney, a senior, who was previously the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year for the past three years and Rookie of the Year in 2023, has enjoyed a tremendous senior season for the Cardinals with 67 ground balls, 85 draw controls and a league-high 64 caused turnovers. She was a key component of the St. John Fisher defensive unit that allowed just 27 goals in nine Empire 8 regular season contests. Lowney, the 2026 Empire 8 Championship Tournament Most Valuable Player, is the Empire 8’s all-time leader with 167 caused turnovers. Lowney is the first three-time Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year since the award was implemented in 2019.
Griffin, a native of Penn Yan, NY, has done it all for the Cardinals in 2026, tallying 50 points on 39 goals and 11 assists, while recording 15 caused turnovers. She finished her season with 134 career goals and 172 points to go along with 158 draw controls.
Leisen has enjoyed a career year for the Cardinals in 2026, leading the league in scoring with 92 points on 53 goals and 39 assists. She has averaged 2.00 assists and 4.58 points per game for St. John Fisher. She tallied 34 goals and 24 assists for 58 points in nine E8 regular season games in 2026. Leisen, a native of Massapequa, NY, has recorded at least five points in a game 11 times this season and recorded a career-high 10 points against Hartwick on April 25.
Long, a native of Auburn, NY, was part of the tandem leading the Knights offense. She had 60 points on the season and surpassed the 100 career goal mark after recording a team-best 42 goals.
Mahoney, a native of Syracuse, NY, was the second half of the high-scoring team for the Knights. She finished her season with 68 points on 33 goals and 35 assists. This was her second-straight season with 68 points for the sophomore.
Brown enjoyed a tremendous final season for the Knights, as she recorded 93 points on 37 goals and 56 assists. A native of Rochester, NY, she recorded 248 career points on 133 goals and 115 assists in four seasons with Geneseo.
Mesick, from Albany, NY, was third highest caused turnovers for the Cardinals totaling 27 with 37 ground ball recoveries. Offensively, she recorded 13 points on eight goals and five assists.
Miller, a native of Auburn, NY, was a first-time All-Empire 8 first team selection. On defense, she played in all 21 games setting career highs with 24 caused turnovers, 45 ground balls and 14 draw controls.
Piccinini, who hails from Bethlehem, NY, set the single-season draw control record for the Knights with 88. She added 31 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers on the season.
Rajkowski, from Cazenovia, NY, recorded 37 points on 29 goals and eight assists, 54 draw controls and 35 ground balls.
Reed, the 2026 Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year and first team selection, started 16 of 18 games posting an 8.12 goals-against average. She record 100 total saves and finished with an 8-5 record. In conference play, she recorded a 5.63 goals-against average and a .514 save percentage.
Ross, a Waterloo, NY native, started all 18 games for the Golden Eagles totaling 20 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers and 54 draw controls.