GRANVILLE, Ohio (April 27, 2024) – With its 14-7 win over Ohio Wesleyan University on Senior Day on Saturday, the Denison University women's lacrosse team officially secured its league-leading 23rd North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship and its first since 2021.

It was Senior Day for Ana Ortiz DeRosa, Maddie Morrell, Josie Lucchesi, Ashley Viglione, Kate Coward, Jane Lukens and Merrill Rollhaus, who were each recognized prior to the game and each earned the start on the field as well.

Rollhaus scored the first goal of the game just over a minute in and after winning the opening draw control of the second quarter, assisted on the first of three goals in the game by Anna DeVuono, making it 3-2 Big Red in the first 15 seconds of the second period.

Mary Daniel won the next draw control and Lucchesi followed with a goal less than 45 seconds later to make it a 4-2 Denison lead.

Then after OWU cut it to 4-3 with 10:54 left in the second quarter, the Big Red scored the final three goals before halftime by DeVuono (10:26), Morrell (6:31) and Rollhaus (4:04).

In all, Denison outscored OWU 5-1 during the second quarter after the score was tied at two at the end of the opening period.

Denison then opened up the third quarter with four straight goals by Morell (12:25), Bridget Sheehy (12:00), Lucchesi (9:47) and Lukens (8:44), capping a 7-0 run and making it an 11-3 Big Red lead.

Among the seniors, Morrell (3 goals) and Rollhaus (2 goals; 1 assists) both finished with three points while Lucchesi added two goals. Morrell's goal with 6:31 in the second quarter was good for her 100th career goal. In addition, Ortiz DeRosa and Viglione both finished with two assists on their Senior Days.

Denison outshot OWU by 20 (36-16) and won 14-of-24 draw controls. Rollhaus led the with a game-high seven draw controls while Daniel and Mary Martinson both added three.

Freshman goalkeeper Julianne Henigan played the first 41 minutes for the Big Red and made four saves while only allowing three goals.

Something had to give as Denison (12-4 overall, 6-0 NCAC) entered the game on a 10-game winning streak and with a record of 6-0 when playing at home while OWU (13-3, 5-1) was riding an eight-game winning streak with a record of 5-0 on the road. In addition, the Battling Bishops were coming off a 14-12 win over the College of Wooster last time out that broke the school record for wins in a single season that was originally set in 1991.

Next up, top-seeded Denison will host the NCAC Tournament Semifinals at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1. Their opponent will be fourth-seeded DePauw University, which the Big Red defeated by a score of 19-4 on the road last week. In 2022, Denison hosted DePauw in the NCAC Tournament Semifinals and won 15-10.

 
Senior Day Recap (Stats entering Saturday):

These seniors have gone a combined 46-24 together, won one North Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship (2021) and two NCAC Tournament Championships (2021, 2023), and advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2021 and the Sweet 16 in both 2022 and 2023.

Kate Coward has played in 68 games in her career and has started in 56 of the team's games over the last three seasons. She has recorded 65 groundballs, 60 caused turnovers and 44 draw controls in her career, including 14 caused turnovers and 12 groundballs so far as a senior. Coward is a two-time All-NCAC selection, earning first-team honors in 2022 and second-team recognition in 2023. She also earned IWLCA First-Team All-Great Lakes Region recognition in 2022.

Josie Lucchesi has played in 68 games in her career and has started in all 56 of the team's games over the last three seasons. She has totaled 132 goals, 48 assists, 54 groundballs and 26 caused turnovers in her career, including scoring 38 goals and dishing out a career-best 17 assists so far during her senior season. Lucchesi also reached a career milestone earlier this season with her 100th career goal during Denison's 17-10 win at Dickinson on February 25th. Lucchesi is a two-time All-NCAC selection, earning second-team accolades in 2022 followed by a nod to the first-team in 2023. She also earned IWLCA Second-Team All-Great Lakes Region recognition and was named to the NCAC All-Tournament Team in 2023.

Jane Lukens has played in 61 career games and has tallied 34 goals, 24 assists and 21 groundballs in her career. As a senior, she has started in 11 of 15 games and has totaled careers-highs in both goals (15) and assists (10).

Maddie Morrell has played in 66 games in her career with 52 starts, and has started in all 37 games over the last two seasons. She enters her Senior Day just one goal shy of 100 career goals. She has also recorded 28 assists, 54 groundballs and 31 caused turnovers in her career. In addition to scoring a career-high 36 goals so far as a senior, Morrell reached a career milestone of 100 points during Denison's 22-9 win over Capital on March 20.

Ana Ortiz DeRosa has played in 41 games in her career, totaling 90 draw controls, 45 groundballs, 25 caused turnovers, 24 goals and five assists and including a career-high 14 goals scored as a senior. Ortiz DeRosa was a 2023-24 Denison Chi Alpha Sigma inductee.

Merrill Rollhaus has played in 54 games in her career and has started in all 15 games as a senior. She has totaled 35 goals, eight assists, 132 draw controls, 36 groundballs and 25 caused turnovers in her career, and has reached career-highs in all five categories with 18 goals, six assists, 62 draw controls, 27 groundballs and 23 caused turnovers so far as a senior. In 2023, Rollhaus was named to the NCAC All-Tournament Team.

Ashley Viglione has played in 65 games in her career with 24 starts, 48 goals, 46 assists, 37 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers. Viglione was named to the NCAC All-Tournament Team in 2022.