Women’s Lacrosse team seeking to continue positive momentum in 2024 under first-year head coach Margo Vandeveld.

By Wes Mayberry

| 2024 Women's Lacrosse Schedule | 2024 Women's Lacrosse Roster |

ADA — After winning a program-best eight games last season, the Ohio Northern women's lacrosse team is seeking to continue that positive momentum in 2024 under first-year head coach Margo Vandeveld.

The Polar Bears got out to their best start in program history at 4-0 last season en route to qualifying for the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament for the third straight year and finishing with an 8-9 overall mark.

Vandeveld is hoping to make even more strides in 2024.

"I am very excited for our season to start," Vandeveld said. "I have a great team of young women who have worked so hard in preparation, and we are all ready to continue to get better throughout the season. This team has a renewed sense of energy and passion for the game, and I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish this year."

The Polar Bears return 16 letter winners to this year's roster highlighted by senior Gabby Monastra (Wooster), who was a 2023 All-OAC Honorable Mention selection.

Often tasked with defending opponents' top players, Monastra started all 17 games last season and tallied 24 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. In 44 career games at ONU, she has 11 points on nine goals and two assists to go with 39 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers.

Other top returners to the ONU defense include senior Emma LoGiudice (Wooster) and junior Rebecca Weinel (Dayton/Chaminade Julienne) as well as senior goalkeeper Chloe Millican (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern).

"Our defense has strong returners this year, and they exemplify what it takes to be a great defender. They're also helping the team connect as a unit," Vandeveld said. "We have players of all ages stepping up into leadership positions on defense, and I am really excited to see how they grow together."

LoGiudice and Weinel combined for 37 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers as defensive starters last season.

Millican started 14 games and recorded an 8-6 record with 98 saves and a 12.59 GAA in 2023. She ranks second all-time at ONU with 11 career wins and third all-time with 182 saves and fourth all-time with a 12.46 GAA in 32 games.

Top returners on offense include fifth-year senior Elizabeth Graham (Dayton/Carroll), senior Noel Orioli (Westerville/North), juniors Keaghan Burden (Brunswick) and Grace Wilson (Midland, Mich./Dow) and sophomores Rylie Kocik (Cicero, N.Y./Cicero-North Syracuse), Elena Martin (Youngstown/Canfield) and Emma Hoersten (Hilliard/Davidson), all of whom tallied double-digit points in 2023.

"We have so much talent on the offensive end," Vandeveld said. "They show up every day ready to push themselves and each other to get better. Each person has their own style of play, and watching them come together is very fun to see."

Burden headlines that group after posting 54 points on 25 goals and 29 assists in 17 starts in 2023. Her 29 assists matched her single-season program record from 2022 and ranked fourth in the OAC, helping the team break its single-season assists record with 98 on the year.

Burden is ONU's all-time leader in career assists with 58 and ranks sixth all-time with 104 points in 34 games. She also has 46 goals, 40 ground balls and 44 draw controls to her credit. She enters 2024 just one goal shy of joining the program's top 10 list in that category.

Now entering her third season at ONU after transferring from Anderson (Ind.), Graham ranks second in program history with 34 assists and eighth with 79 points while sitting just outside the top 10 all-time in goals with 45. She started all 17 games in 2023, recording 24 points on 10 goals and 14 assists.

Kocik, Martin and Hoersten are all coming off impressive freshmen seasons.

Kocik recorded hat tricks in each of the team's first five games in 2023, including a six-goal outing against Trine (Ind.). She finished the year with seven hat tricks in 11 games and ranked second on the team with 30 goals to go with five assists for 35 points.

Martin had six hat tricks last season, finishing with 34 points on 25 goals and nine assists while adding 28 ground balls, 35 draw controls and 14 caused turnovers as a 17-game starter.

Hoersten added 32 points on 24 goals and eight assists to go with 15 ground balls, 28 draw controls and 14 caused turnovers in 17 games.

Wilson ranked second on the team in assists with 20 last season and added eight goals for 28 points. In 26 games at ONU, she ranks third in program history with 28 assists and has nine goals for 37 points.

Orioli recorded 12 points on 10 goals and two assists in 17 games a year ago. In 51 career games, she has 61 points on 47 goals and 14 assists. She enters 2024 tied for 10th all-time at ONU in goals and needs just one point and three assists to join the program's top-10 lists in those categories.

Senior Emma Perry (Pickerington/North) also returns, bringing plenty of experience with 32 starts in 47 career games. She has 45 points on 39 goals and six assists to her credit.

Junior Alise Callahan (Cedarburg, Wis.), sophomores Lydia Lehman (West Chester/Lakota West), Mackenzie Miller (Maumee/Anthony Wayne) and Tori Wiece (Chesterland/West Geauga) and freshmen Abigael Arnold (Pickerington/Central), Kassidy Elzey (Miamisburg), Savannah Larsen (Castle Rock, Colo./Rock Canyon), Jenna Messinger (Springboro) and Izzy Salata (Stow/Walsh Jesuit) round out the 21-woman roster.

The Polar Bears open their 2024 season with six straight road games beginning with a matchup at Adrian (Mich.) on Feb. 21. They will face the University of New England (Maine) and Farmingdale State (N.Y.) in Arizona on March 11 and 14, respectively, before returning home for their OAC opener against John Carroll on March 23. The regular season concludes with a game at Mount Union on April 20.

The OAC Tournament is scheduled for April 27 through May 4.

"We have a tough start to the season with so many away games. We have to compete early and show our toughness away from home," Vandeveld said. "I believe that the start of our season will help us prepare for our conference games, and we can really show who we are as a team when we finally get to play at home in front of our fans. I believe this team has the ability to make the most out of any situation, and I'm excited to see what we can do this year."