Season Preview: Women's Lacrosse optimistic heading into fourth season
By Blake Moore
ADA — Optimism runs high for the Ohio Northern women's lacrosse team heading into the program's fourth season.
Last season, the Polar Bears posted a 6-10 overall record and a 3-5 mark against the Ohio Athletic Conference to end sixth in the final league standings.
Northern will enter the 2019 campaign boasting a deeper, more experienced team than in previous seasons, making fourth-year head coach Beth Hemminger and her staff optimistic about the upcoming season and the program's future.
Ohio Northern will welcome back 15 letterwinners, including All-OAC honorees Emily Hershberger (Jackson Township/Jackson) and Maddie Storr (Clarence, N.Y.). In addition, five freshmen will join the program, hoping to make an immediate impact in their first season.
"We are very excited about our team this season," ONU head coach Beth Hemminger said. "We are in a good spot with our program and hope to surprise some people this year. We are deeper, more athletic and more confident than we have been in any point in our program."
The following is a breakdown of the 2019 Ohio Northern women's lacrosse team, according to position:
Attack
On the offensive front, ONU will return four letterwinners and an All-OAC Honorable Mention honoree at the attack position.
After a season away in 2018, junior Maddie Storr (Clarence, N.Y.) returns to the team as the program's all-time leader in goals (59), man-up goals (8), shots (128), shots on goal (107), and hat tricks (12). She also owns eight single-season program records and four single-game records at Ohio Northern.
During the 2016 campaign, Storr was named All-OAC Honorable Mention, OAC Rookie of the Year, and a two-time OAC Player of the Week.
Juniors Eli Carter (Lebanon) and Betsy Naugle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) and sophomore Sydney Skelding (North Plainfield, N.J./Dublin) also return to the lineup after earning varsity letters last season.
In two seasons, Carter has started 22 games with 30 total appearances at the attack position. She currently ranks seventh all-time in goals with 23 and in points with 27. Additionally, the Lebanon product earned Academic All-OAC honors last season.
Naugle has appeared in all 32 games during her two-year career, including 31 total starts. She ranks second all-time in program history with 49 career goals, tied for second with 12 assists, and third in points with 61.
During her first season, Skelding started all 14 games in which she appeared. She led the team with 30 goals and finished second on the team with 10 assists, which established a new freshman class record.
"We are more versatile on attack than we have ever been," Hemminger said. "We will be able to rely on many different ladies to score, rather than just one or two girls going one-on-one. We have four returning players that are very skilled and having Maddie back adds a new dimension to our attack."
Midfield
Coach Hemminger and her staff welcome back four midfielders to the 2019 squad, including two-time letterwinner Jacqui Lohman (Liberty Township/Lakota East).
Lohman has started and appeared in all 32 games during her time at Ohio Northern. The junior midfielder is the program's all-time leader in draw controls (72) entering the season.
Last season, she led the team with 78 shots and ranked third on the team with 20 goals and 31 draw controls.
Juniors Ann McArn (Bay Village/Western Reserve Academy) and sophomore Sabra Woodruff (Beavercreek) will also return after lettering one year ago.
McArn started all 16 games and was named Academic All-OAC last season. During her sophomore campaign, she recorded 15 goals, one assist, 45 ground balls, and a team-high 48 draw controls.
Sophomore Kayla Penrod (Marysville) has appeared in four matches after joining the team during as a sophomore. She has one career ground ball and one career caused turnover.
Woodruff will return to the midfield after a record-setting freshman campaign. The Beavercreek graduate set freshman class records with 45 ground balls and 29 caused turnovers last season, including a single-game record nine caused turnovers against Heidelberg.
"Jacqui, Sabra and Ann were our workhorses in the midfield last year," Hemminger said. "We expect them to continue in that role this spring. We have more depth and are working hard on our draw control game. This group has outstanding potential."
Defense
The Ohio Northern backline will be a strong point for Coach Hemminger's squad as the team welcomes back six letterwinners and an All-Conference athlete to the defensive unit.
Emily Hershberger (Jackson Township/Jackson) will be a vital component to the defense's success after being named All-OAC Honorable Mention in 2017 and 2018. The three-time letterwinner has started all 48 matches in program history and owns the program record with 76 career caused turnovers.
Last season, Hershberger set the single-season record for caused turnovers with 32 and registered 46 ground balls and 20 draw controls.
Junior Rachel Shipman (Noblesville, Ind.) will also return as a multiple-time letterwinner.
Last season, Shipman posted 19 goals, 15 assists, 34 points, 43 ground balls, and 28 caused turnovers. In addition, she would serve as a leader in the classroom, earning Academic All-OAC honors.
The Noblesville, Ind. product is the program's all-time leader in assists (23), points (68), and free-position goals (18). Her 15 assists in 2018 is the current single-season program record.
Juniors Claire Kaiding (Waterford, Mich./Brandon) and Chrysa Soures (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas) and sophomores Hannah Cornelius (Worthington/Thomas Worthington) and Megan O'Grodnik (Webster, N.Y./Webster Schroeder) will each return after lettering last season.
The Polar Bears will also add freshman Kate Naugle (Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area) to the defensive rotation during the 2019 season.
"Emily and Rachel have been the leaders of our defense," Hemminger said. "They are a consistent group. We should have quite a bit more depth and flexibility this season on defense."
Goalkeeper
Junior Kelli Hill (Worthingon/Thomas Worthington) and freshman Cameron Harbour (O'Fallon, Ill.) will assume the Polar Bears' goalkeeping duties this season.
Last season, Hill split time in net with 2018 graduate and All-OAC honoree Shannen Larsen Van Alstine, logging 453 minutes in 15 appearances. In two seasons, she has made 29 career appearances, made one start, and played 856 minutes overall.
She currently ranks second in career saves with 131 and goals against average with a 12.34 mark.
Meanwhile, Harbour will compete for playing time in her first season at ONU.
"Kelli has been very good for us the past two seasons," Hemminger said. "We expect her to take over the starting role after splitting time in goal the past two years. We are excited to see her step up and become a leader. We are excited about Cameron as she will give us quality depth."
Schedule
Seven home contests highlight the Polar Bears' 16-game schedule, including the 2019 opener against Hiram. Ohio Northern will face off against the Terriers on February 27 at 7 p.m. inside Dial-Roberson Stadium to kick off the season.
Ohio Northern will then host Ursuline Saturday, March 2 before departing for their annual Spring Break trip. This season, ONU will travel to North Carolina, playing nonconference affairs against Guilford (N.C.) on March 5 and Greensboro (N.C.) on March 8.
The remaining nonconference schedule includes a home date against Albion (Mich.) on March 14 and road contests at Siena Heights (Mich.), Cleary (Mich.), and Trine (Ind.).
The Polar Bears will open their eight-game conference slate on Saturday, March 30 against Mount Union. The OAC contest will begin at 1 p.m. inside Dial-Roberson Stadium.
ONU will also host Baldwin Wallace on April 10, Marietta on April 13, and John Carroll on April 27 for Senior Day during the conference season.
Meanwhile, Northern must travel to Heidelberg on April 3, Muskingum on April 6, Capital on April 19, and Otterbein on April 24.
The four-team Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament will begin on Wednesday, May 1 with the semifinal round. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday, May 4.