MAC ATTACK: Princeton University women’s lacrosse player Jami MacDonald, right, heads to goal in a game last spring. Senior attacker MacDonald, who tallied 58 goals and 34 assists in 2025, figures to be a go-to player again for the Tigers this season. No. 6 Princeton opens its 2026 campaign by playing at No. 19 Loyola (1-1) on February 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Justin Feil
Expectations from the outside and within are high for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team that opens the season February 21 at Loyola.
The Tigers are regarded as a Top 10 team nationally because they bring back a large portion of their contributors from last year’s squad that went 16-4 and reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2019.
“You’ve got to come prepared and you’ve got to earn it, and that’s what’s been talked about a lot,” said Princeton head coach Jenn Cook, who is beginning her fourth year at the helm of the program. “It’s our work every day is what shows up. And when we are playing at our best game, we can compete with anybody in the country. I firmly believe that. And I think last year, we as coaches have said that, but last year I think they really believed it and are carrying it into this year.”
The Tigers, who are currently ranked No. 6 in the Inside Lacrosse national poll, return some elite national level players who are regarded among the best players in the country. Jami MacDonald and Haven Dora pace the attack as two of last year’s three leading scorers. Meg Morrisroe, Princeton’s fourth-leading scorer a year ago, is also back. Graduated, however, is McKenzie Blake, the program’s all-time leading goal scorer after adding 98 tallies to her total of 231 last year.
“You lose a player like McKenzie and it can sometimes be a hole that you can’t fill,” said Cook. “This group, I’m really confident in the way that they play together. They play so unselfishly that we will have a lot of success continued with the leadership of Haven and Jami and the way they share the ball and the way they see the game.”
MacDonald wasn’t far behind Blake last year for the points lead on the team. The senior put up 58 goals and 34 assists. Dora was a big part of setting up others. The senior led the team with 60 assists while also scoring 29 goals. Morrisroe had 38 goals, and the junior already has 61 career goals through her first two seasons.
“They’ve really continued what McKenzie started last year and what our offense as a whole started last year, which is exciting to see,” said Cook. “I think they’re all really, really smart players. I think Haven and Jami work incredibly well together, but we have dodge threats, I think our midfielders have matured, and I think our inside play is really great with players like a Meg Morrisroe.”
At the other end of the field, the Tigers return standouts Amelia Hughes in goal and Dylan Allen on defense. Hughes was a second-team All-Ivy League selection last year after being Ivy Goalkeeper of the Year in 2024 and starting as a freshman in 2023. She has an edge in experience, but sophomore Elizabeth Gonnella is pushing her, and freshman Jackie Feldman comes highly regarded out of Florida, while Ellie Nicklas is the lone junior goalie.
“Amelia Hughes is really finding joy in playing, which is great,” said Cook of Hughes, who posted a goals against average of 11.79 last year with a save percentage of .481. “I think the competition between our goalies and our middies and then our defenders and our attackers is so incredibly healthy, and it brings out the best in everybody. And, I think it’s really great just to see people who have had time moving up into leadership roles as upperclassmen really owning that moment.”
Allen enjoyed a breakout junior year. She picked up Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) third-team All-American recognition along with her first-team All-Ivy accolade. She was third on the team in caused turnovers. Fellow seniors Abigail Roberts and Juliana Williams are also key to the defense, and sophomore Zoe Bye started for the Tigers last year. They graduated Sam Whiting and Paige Vegna from the back, but Williams in particular has taken a significant jump from a year ago.
“On the defensive side of ball, a great mixture of veterans and youth,” said Cook. “We’ve got three returning starting defenders that are seniors, some sophomores, maybe a freshman in the mix, and then a veteran goalie in Amelia Hughes, and then also a really, really good other goalie in, so we have a lot to look forward to.”
Connecting the two ends is a midfield group that has depth with experienced veterans and newcomers ready to contribute. Maggie Molnar and Lane Calkins are seniors, while Colette Quinn is a junior who started more than half the year. Ella Sloan returns after missing last year due to injury. The midfield as a group has shown strong development to shore up an area that is vital to the Tigers at both ends.
“It creates continuity,” said Cook. “I think being a midfielder is incredibly difficult from just the pace of the game holistically. I think the maturity that they have and the experience that they have, has really paid dividends in teaching some younger midfielders that are potentially getting time with them on line. And I think they’ve done a great job with it.”
Becca Kirschner and Devan Lange are freshmen who could strengthen the midfield in their first year at Princeton. Kate Dente and Grace Farrell — a former Haddonfield High star like Blake — are potential impact freshmen on the attack. Sydney Sookdeo and Genevieve Nelson are freshmen defenders. They can follow the lead of a group of veterans, who give the Tigers a strong starting point with all their returning experience.
“It’s great because it allows you to be creative all over the field,” said Cook. “It allows you to call things in from the sidelines and have everybody on the same page and know what that means when you’re making tweaks to a game plan in-moment and you might not want to burn a timeout. It just allows you to have the ability to change things or make little nuances within a game that’s going to set the group up for success that you’re seeing in a moment. As much as we scout, obviously people can throw in wrinkles. And so we’ve got to have the ability to do the same and adjust and adapt. With the group that we have, we have that ability, which is super exciting.”
Probably the biggest question mark for the Tigers aside from how exactly they make up Blake’s goal-scoring is on the draw control. Blake not only was a top goal scorer, but she corralled 50 draws last year, third on the team. Leading the way was Sophie Whiteway, who also graduated last year along with her 98 draw controls. Roberts, who returns, was second with 78.
“Kerrin Maurer, our attacking and draw coach, the associate head coach here at Princeton, sees the game incredibly well and I think adjusts in-game with what’s going to set up the kid who’s taking the draw and the kids in the circle for success through different game plans, different ways to draw,” said Cook. “And so, I think that is something that we’re going to have to work through on the draw throughout the beginning of the season. But I have confidence that we’ll be able to do that.”
Maggie Bacigalupo has worked hard on the draw and will get a chance to impact it early. She’s only a sophomore, but has poured time into developing for the Tigers.
“She has time under her belt and did a really good job and has continued to grow off the draw,” said Cook. “Possession is going to be everything this year, especially with how the new rules are in place.”
This year, green cards giving one-minute penalties have been broadened to try to reduce physical play, and the draw control now has a 30-second time limit for both teams after a goal is scored to be in place to resume play. Those are rules that every team is adjusting to. No. 19 Loyola, now 1-1, will have the advantage of already playing three games when Princeton travels to Baltimore for its season opener.
“It’s going to be exciting,” said Cook. “For us, Loyola is a great challenge. They’re fast, they’re physical, they have incredible sticks. They are very good off the draw. Going in, we’ll have a good amount of scout film on them. They played their first game on Wednesday of this past week so I think we’ll have around three films on them. So for us, it’s really honing in on that film and watching it and executing our game plan.”
Princeton lost its season opener last year before reeling off wins in 13 of its next 14 games. The Tigers face another challenging schedule outside of the Ivy League. Their non-conference slate continues with Rutgers visiting February 25 and then a trip to No. 2 Maryland, then after their Ivy opener at No. 25 Harvard they play at Virginia, No. 21 Penn State and Hofstra. Five of their first six games are on the road.
“The season is long, and we’ve got to be capable of adjusting throughout and being focused throughout,” said Cook. “So really, for us it’s taking a smaller approach, and the next game is the most important game, and how can we have an impact today to impact the outcome come the next game that we play? That’s how we’re kind of approaching the season this year and approaching Loyola. I think it’s going to be a fast-paced game. It always is with them. So for us, it’s really about controlling tempo.”
It will be the first opportunity for this year’s group to compete and see how they compare to expectations. The Tigers are picked to finish first in the Ivy League in the preseason media poll after winning the conference regular season a year ago and bringing so much back. They are Top 10 in national polls. Princeton is hoping they’ll go higher.
“I think everybody’s bought in,” said Cook. “I think everybody’s hungry. And I think everybody knows that we have to work every single day and we really do need everybody improving, every single day. That’s what it’s about. Our season is long and we need everybody ready to compete at the highest level.”