Bonnies Women's Lacrosse Looking To Reach New Heights in 2025

The 2025 St. Bonaventure women’s lacrosse team is hungry to return to the Atlantic 10 Tournament after missing out a year ago on a tiebreaker in the conference standings. The Bonnies mix of veteran talent and new faces this spring look to help the Brown and White make a return to the postseason. 

Head coach LeighAnn Stauffer has brought in 13 freshmen to help the team make their second postseason appearance in her third year at the helm. 

“Collectively, as a whole team, I think we have a lot of depth this year,” Stauffer said. “Strength-wise, speed-wise, and lacrosse IQ. We’ve got a lot of moving parts, but it’s all coming together.” 

When the season kicks off at the Marra Athletics Complex Feb. 8, Stauffer and her staff will play a combination of the Bonnies veteran presence and rookie talent on attack this year. 

Fiona McGovern enters her senior year with the Bonnies coming off two consecutive seasons as the team’s leader in points. Recording 59 points in 2024, McGovern earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team. 

The Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. native is rising up the program record book in multiple categories. She’s 10th in career points (145), 13th in career goals (92), and sixth in career assists (53). 

Joining McGovern on the attack is senior captain Tori Nascimento. Nascimento had a breakout year in 2023, tallying a career-high 18 points on 14 goals and four assists. 

Other returners on attack include juniors Rylee Gonzalez and Grace Hollenbeck. 

Hollenbeck added 28 points in her sophomore season, including two four goals games in Atlantic 10 play. 

In her first season with the Bonnies after transferring from Gardner-Webb, Gonzalez recorded 11 goals on an efficient .478 shooting percentage. 

Freshman Reagan Diehl looks to make an impact in her first season as well. Diehl scored 136 goals in her high school career at Palmyra Macedon in Macedon, N.Y. 

“They find each other really well on the field. They drive, they know exactly what each other wants to do depending on what set we’re in and what play we’re running. They know exactly what to look for and capitalize on that,” Stauffer said. 

The midfield is full of experience as well with A-10 Second Team All-Conference selection Brooke Piper and All-Rookie Team member Olivia Peeler. 

Piper set the Bona single-season draw control record in 2024 with 68, surpassing Courtney Gibbons and Stauffer. The junior is fifth in program history in career draw controls with 114. 

Another staple returning to the midfield is junior Megan Schillinger. Schillinger was the main draw taker for the Bonnies in 2024, recording 64 draw controls to tie Gibbons for second-most in a single season in program history. 

Piper, Peeler, and Schillinger are joined by a flurry of newcomers in the midfield. Freshmen additions to the midfield include, Maddie Pieloch, Sidney Van Tassel, and Hannah West. 

“I think that one of our greatest strengths in the midfield is our speed. We’re working a lot on fast breaks because I think that’s a huge strength of our where we can capitalize,” Stauffer said. “The freshmen have adjusted very well. I’m excited for them to have their freshmen year, and they’ve been working really well with the upperclassmen. I’m excited to see what they can do.”

On defense, Brit Colangelo returns for her junior season after a First Team All-Conference performance in her sophomore year. The Scarborough, Ontario native recorded 34 caused turnovers and 48 groundballs in 2024 while tallying her first career goal and three assists. 

Senior captain Brooke Cicoria and junior Kate Hennessey will be anchors on the Bona defensive end as well. Cicoria and Hennessey combined for 33 groundballs and eight caused turnovers last season. 

Kylie Pfeffer figures to make an impact in her freshman season after a strong fall.

Off the bench, sophomore Jordan Murrell and seniors Chloe Szot and Grace Burns will bring a veteran presence to the defensive unit. 

In goal, sophomore Katelyn Hicks will get the nod in the cage. Hicks was the backup to Bona’s career starts leader (56) Ashley Herrick last season. Hicks appeared in seven contests, picking up her first career win over Youngstown State. 

“She’s a sophomore, but she doesn’t play like a sophomore,” Stauffer said. “She’s all over the cage, making amazing saves in practice and throughout fall ball. She is a brick wall in there. She’s young, but she certainty doesn’t play like it, so I’m very excited for her sophomore year.”

Stauffer brought in two freshmen at the goalie position as well in Judy Mahoney and Lauren Draszkiewicz.

The non-conference schedule will see many familiar opponents for the Bonnies and a few new foes. 

Bona will play its first four games of the season at the Marra Athletics Complex, first welcoming Pitt on Feb. 8. The Bonnies and the Panthers have met one time before in 2022 in Pittsburgh. 

The next three games feature regional rivals with Canisius, Niagara and Binghamton making the trip into the Enchanted Mountains. Both Binghamton and Niagara made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2024. 

The Bonnies will travel to Youngstown State before making their way to Florida for two games over spring break. The Brown and White will go head-to-head with Stetson and South Florida for the first time in program history. USF is in its inaugural season as a DI program and will make their debut in the American Conference this season. 

Atlantic 10 action starts on March 8 as the Bonnies host La Salle. Other home conference games are against Richmond (March 22), Davidson (April 6), George Mason (April 9), and Massachusetts (April 19). 

Bona’s first road game in A-10 play is at Rhode Island. The Rams are in their inaugural season as a Division I women’s lacrosse program. 

The Bonnies also take on Duquesne (March 26), VCU (March 29), Saint Joseph’s (April 12), and George Washington (April 26) on the road. 

“I think we’ll see a more competitive team overall. Our out-of-conference schedule is tougher than in years past. We did that on purpose as a staff,” Stauffer said. “We open up with an ACC school in Pitt and we play an ASUN school in Stetson. I think overall, our out-of-conference schedule is going to prepare us for A-10 play. Our team is going to be prepared come April and May because we don’t want to be in the same situation we were in last year.”