Season Preview: 2026 Women's Lacrosse

By: Cael Dent - Coordinator of Athletics Communications and Broadcast

Women's Lacrosse | 2/19/2026 10:00:00 AM

Granville, Ohio - The Big Red Women's Lacrosse team looks to build on the season they had last year, after finishing with a 16-5 record and going 6-0 in conference play with an NCAC Tournament Championship and NCAA Elite Eight appearance.

2025 Season Recap

The Big Red finished their season with a 16-5 overall record and a perfect 6-0 conference record, beating Kenyon in the semifinals and Wooster in the North Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Final to win their fourth title of the decade. The Big Red defeated two ranked opponents and won every conference matchup by at least five goals in the regular season. With the championship win, the Big Red received an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, where they would host the first and second rounds. In the second round, Denison throttled Lake Forest College 23-4 to send them into the third round.Their next matchup would be against a tough Franklin & Marshall College, who was ranked fifth at the time. The Big Red would claim a close 16-15 win after being down 15-13 with less than nine minutes left to play to earn a spot in the national quarterfinals. In a rematch of the first game of the season, Gettysburg would take the win in the second matchup in the playoffs, winning 16-13 and ending Denison's historic run. The Big Red placed nine players on All-NCAC teams, with two earning Midfielder and Offensive Players of the Year. Anna DeVuono was named a First Team All-American, and Mary Daniel, Liz Hinton, and Mary Martinson were all deemed Third Team.

Returning All-American/All-Conference

Mary Martinson - IWLCA Third Team All-American, IWLCA First Team All-Region, First Team All-NCAC (Midfielder of the Year)
Bridget Sheehy - IWLCA First Team All-Region, Second Team All-NCAC
Julianne Henigan - Second Team All-NCAC
Grayson O'Mara - Third Team All-NCAC
Grace Schlossberg - Third Team All-NCAC

2026 NCAC Preseason Poll

2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Poll
Place	Institution (1st Place Votes)	Total Points
1	Denison (8)	64
2	Wooster	43
3	John Carroll	41
3	Kenyon	41
5	DePauw	37
5	Ohio Wesleyan	37
7	Oberlin	17
8	Wittenberg	8

Position-by-Position Breakdown

Attack

The Big Red will be tasked with replacing their First Team All-American in Anna DeVuono, who netted 80 goals last season for Denison. Caroline Brooks was another key piece who graduated last year, as she put up 27 goals and 14 assists in the 2025 season. Senior Sophie Davenport brings back the most experience, as she played and started in 20 games last season while also ranking fifth on the team in goals scored (17). Fellow senior Madison Goldstein played in all 21 games while starting in 19. She scored 10 goals while dishing off two assists as well. MK Barnhart looks to improve on her stellar rookie season. The rising sophomore accounted for 24 points for the Big Red (13 goals, 11 assists). Other attackers in the mix include Emersen Thompson (10 goals, five assists), senior Jamie Epstein, and sophomore Hana Ashghari.

Midfield

The most experienced group on the field, the Big Red return their NCAC Midfielder of the Year and preseason All-American Mary Martinson. The rising senior was second on the team and third in the conference in goals with 53, and had 94 draw controls, good for first on the Big Red and fourth in the conference. Third leading scorer Bridget Sheehy also returns to the stacked room, as the 2025 First Team All-Region recipient netted 20 goals and led the Big Red in assists with 35. Senior Grayson O'Mara earned Third Team All-NCAC recognition last season, as she put up 16 goals, 15 assists, and 19 caused turnovers in 21 games played. Rising sophomore Maddie Chase looks to have another breakout year. As a first-year, Chase scored 21 goals and had 38 draw controls. Sydney Lavin, Addie Clift, and Anna Nuckols all bring back ample experience to a loaded and deep position group.

Defense

Denison loses their two-time All-American in Mary Daniel, who helped the Big Red only give up 9.2 goals per game, and All-American Liz Hinton to graduated, leaving big shoes to fill in the backend of the defense. Junior Grace Schlossberg returns after a Third Team All-NCAC nod last season. During her sophomore campaign, she recorded 20 ground balls and had a team-leading 23 caused turnovers. Rising senior Evy Palmer started the most games out of the returners from last season, as she started in all 21 games. Palmer had 11 ground balls and four caused turnovers. Rising sophomores Lucy Donnelly and Eliza Chapman saw extensive time last season to help give a boost to the Big Red defense.

Goalkeeper

Julianne Henigan comes into the year as a junior, having 227 career saves over her first two seasons. Henigan has a total of 40 games played with a record of 24-8. Last year, she would retrieve 33 groundballs, good for second best on the team, and ranked first in the NCAC with a .477 save percentage. Out of her 227 career saves, 146 of them came from last year, which was good for second-best in the NCAC. Henigan would also be named to the 2025 All-NCAC Second Team.

Tourney Time: Since Head Coach Amanda Daniels took over in 2014, the Big Red have made the tournament in every season (excluding 2020). They have compiled an 11-11 record in the tournament, with two quarterfinals appearances and one final four appearance.

Conference Dominance: Since the start of the decade, Denison has a 29-2 regular season record in conference play, and has won four NCAC Tournament titles. The Big Red currently hold a 13-game win streak over conference opponents.

Postseason Recognition: The Big Red have racked up numerous NCAC awards, as in four of the past five seasons Denison has won three Offensive Player of the Year awards, two Midfielder of the Year awards, and Newcomer of the Year. In addition, six players have been named All-Americans, with two earning multiple selections.

A Look at the Schedule

Denison starts their season off with a rematch of last season's Elite Eight at No. 4 Gettysburg College on February 21 at 1 pm. The Big Red's first home game will be on February 25 at 6:30 pm against Mount Union. The team will face back-to-back preseason top-25 teams in No. 21 Chicago and No. 24 Messiah before taking a three-game spring break stretch in Panama City, Fla. from March 15-18. The first conference game of the season will be on April 3 at 7 pm when the team travels to The College of Wooster. The first home conference game will come a few days later, as Denison hosts Ohio Wesleyan on April 7 at 7 pm. Senior Day will occur on April 18 at 12 pm, and the final regular season game will come on April 25 at John Carroll. The NCAC Semifinal game will occur on April 29, and the NCAC Championship will be played on May 2.

Date	Location	Opponent	Time
2/21/26	Gettysburg, Pa.	Gettysburg	1 PM
2/22/26	Carlisle, Pa.	Dickenson	1 PM
2/25/26	Granville, Ohio	University of Mount Union	6:30 PM
3/7/26	Chicago, Ill.	University of Chicago	1 PM
3/11/26	Granville, Ohio	Messiah University	4 PM
3/15/26	Panama City Beach, Fla.	Plymouth State University	8 PM
3/17/26	Panama City Beach, Fla.	Smith College	7 PM
3/18/26	Panama City Beach, Fla.	Connecticut College	7 PM
3/28/26	Granville, Ohio	Christopher Newport	12 PM
4/3/26	Wooster, Ohio	*The College of Wooster	7 PM
4/7/26	Granville, Ohio	*Ohio Wesleyan	7 PM
4/11/26	Granville, Ohio	*Kenyon	12 PM
4/15/26	Springfield, Ohio	*Wittenberg	6 PM
4/18/26	Granville, Ohio	*Oberlin College (Senior day)	12 PM
4/21/26	Granville, Ohio	Washington and Lee	6 PM
4/22/26	Granville, Ohio	*DePauw	5:30 PM
4/25/26	University Heights, Ohio	*John Carroll University	12 PM
4/29/26	TBA	NCAC Semifinals	TBA
5/2/26	TBA	NCAC Finals	TBA