Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/28/25 – From Press Release
Senior goalkeeper Taylor Grollman has been named AAC Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year and selected to the AAC Preseason All-Conference team, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. Senior Amelia Wright also earned AAC Preseason All-Conference honors. The Temple women’s lacrosse team was picked to finish third in the 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll.
Grollman started all 16 games, logging nearly 900 minutes in goal. She finished the season with career-best numbers, recording 127 saves, a .470 save percentage, and a 9.53 goals-against average. Her performance ranked her in the Top 20 nationally in both GAA and save percentage. Grollman was named AAC Goalkeeper of the Week on March 25 after making nine saves and allowing just eight goals in a victory over ECU on March 23. She also posted a save percentage of .500 or better in eight games, including a streak of five consecutive games to open the season.
Wright played in all 16 games, making 15 starts. She recorded career highs with 29 goals, 34 points, 11 ground balls, and six caused turnovers. Wright had 11 multi-goal games, including three hat tricks, and tallied 12 goals and four assists across six games in February. She scored in 15 games and registered at least one point in every contest. Additionally, she scored twice in the AAC semifinals against James Madison.
Temple was picked behind Vanderbilt and James Madison in the coaches’ poll. The Commodores received one first-place vote, while the Dukes received six first-place votes. ECU, USF, Charlotte, and ODU were picked behind Temple in the coaches poll. The Owls will look to open the season on the road against Delaware on February 7.
James Madison, ranked No. 18 in the USA Lacrosse preseason poll, received all six possible first-place votes from the head coaches to amass 36 points in the poll and edge Vanderbilt, which was second with 31 points and one first-place vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in the preseason poll.
James Madison attack Maddie Epke was the coaches’ unanimous choice as The American’s Preseason Attack Player of the Year, while Dukes defender Carolyn Thistlewaite (New Hope-Solebury) was unanimously chosen as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Vanderbilt’s Kemper Robinson was named as the Preseason Midfielder of the Year, while Temple’s Taylor Grollman was the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
James Madison went 14-6 overall and 5-1 in conference play in 2024, as the Dukes advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. JMU will be led by Epke, an honorable mention All-America selection last year who scored 57 goals with 23 assists and 178 draw controls. James Madison’s defense gets a boost from the return of Thistlewaite, who missed all of last season due to injury, but helped hold opponents to 7.9 goals per game in 2023.
Epke and Thistlewaite were among the five James Madison players named to the preseason all-conference team, along with midfielder Maggie Clark (11g, 7a), attack Olivia Mattis (20g, 3a), defender Ava Bleckley (Archbishop Carroll, 37 gb, 40 dc, 31 ct) and goalie Caitlin Boden (.432 sv%).
2025 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. James Madison (6) 36
2. Vanderbilt (1) 31
3. Temple 24
4. East Carolina 19
5. South Florida 18
6. Charlotte 11
7. Old Dominion 8
first-place votes in parentheses
Preseason Attack Player of the Year Maddie Epke, James Madison *
Preseason Midfielder of the Year Kemper Robinson, Vanderbilt
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Carolyn Thistlewaite (New Hope-Solebury), James Madison *
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year Taylor Grollman, Temple
2025 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team
Lily Barger, D, Charlotte
Erin Gulden, A, East Carolina
Caroline Meininger, D, East Carolina
Emily Stratton, M, East Carolina
Carolyn Thistlewaite (New Hope-Solebury), D, James Madison
Ava Bleckley (Archbishop Carroll), D, James Madison *
Caitlin Boden, G, James Madison
Maggie Clark, M, James Madison
Maddie Epke, A, James Madison *
Olivia Mattis, A, James Madison
Sydney Taylor, A, Old Dominion
Sofia Chepenik, A, South Florida
Ansley Knor, D, South Florida
Taylor Grollman, G, Temple *
Amelia Wright, A, Temple
Brooke Baker, M, Vanderbilt *
Maddie Barkate, A, Vanderbilt
Molly Finlay, A, Vanderbilt
Alex Gladding, D, Vanderbilt
Kemper Robinson, M, Vanderbilt *
