Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/29/25
From Press Release
Reigning CAA Champions Stony Brook were selected as the league’s preseason favorite, while their midfielder Isabella Caporuscio (Crestwood) was tabbed Preseason Player of the Year, as voted on by the league’s eight head coaches.
The reigning CAA Midfielder of the Year appeared and started in all 21 games for the Seawolves last season, rounding out the league’s top five with 49 goals and 68 points. Caporuscio also garnered USA Lacrosse and Nike Lacrosse Media All-America Honorable Mentions for her success on the other side of the ball, bolstering one of the country’s top defensive teams and picking up 2.5 ground balls per game.
The three-time champs earned seven first-place votes as the conference’s top team, turning to the league’s preseason pick, Caporuscio, to shoulder the load. Preseason All-CAA team selection Allie Masera also returns for her senior campaign. The Seawolves’ defender helped facilitate one of the nation’s top defensive teams that allowed just 8.8 goals per game (5th in NCAA). The Eastport, N.Y., native also helped Stony Brook force 12.8 turnovers per contest, good for 15th in the nation.
Drexel was picked second with one first-place nod and 42 points in the poll. The Dragons welcomed back a trio of Preseason All-CAA selections, attacker Bea Buckley (Penn Charter), midfielder Kate Quinn, and defender Katie Maloney. Buckley was one of the conference’s top distributors a season ago, sitting second with 44 assists en route to 72 points, good for fourth in the CAA. Quinn averaged 3.3 draw controls, while Maloney picked up 2.4 ground balls per contest. The duo became an instrumental part in Drexel’s transition to offense, succeeding on 93.4% of its clears (7th in NCAA).
2026 CAA WOMEN’S LACROSSE PRESEASON AWARDS
CAA Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (1st place votes) Points
Stony Brook (7) 49
Drexel (1) 42
Towson 33
Elon 31
Hofstra 29
William & Mary 17
Campbell 13
Monmouth 10
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Isabella Caporuscio (Crestwood), Stony Brook
2026 Preseason All-CAA Team
Player Team Pos. Class Hometown
Bea Buckley (Penn Charter) Drexel A Jr. Philadelphia, Pa.
Nikki Mennella Hofstra A R-Jr. Smithtown, N.Y.
Katie Roszko Towson A Jr. Bel Air, Md.
Ana Lee Vandiver Elon A R-Jr. Baltimore, Md.
Isabella Caporuscio (Crestwood) Stony Brook M Jr. Mountain Top, Pa.
Kate Quinn Drexel M Sr. West Caldwell, N.J.
Valerie Thompson Towson M Sr. Sykesville, Md.
Christine Dannenfelser Hofstra D Jr. Bayport, N.Y.
Reagan Kuehn Elon D Jr. Towson, Md.
Katie Maloney Drexel D R-Jr. Gaithersburg, Md.
Allie Masera Stony Brook D Sr. Eastport, N.Y.
Katie Sullivan Monmouth GK Jr. Gainesville, Va.
Honorable Mentions: Natalia Altebrando, Stony Brook (GK) / Jenna Cardeno, Towson (GK) / Kate Draddy, William & Mary (M) / Julia Fusco, Stony Brook (M) / Hailey Kohlmann, Campbell (D) / Ocea Leavy, Towson (M) / Emma Nikolic (Conestoga), Drexel (D) / MJ Santa Barbara, Elon (A)
