Post-Game Winner Celly, 5-11-25 vs Haverford
FOTOJOE PHOTOGRAPHY INC./Hannah Reagle

2026 Women's Lacrosse Season Preview

By Andrew Barbieri
For preview WLAX

2025 Season Recap

 

The four-time national champion Salisbury University women's lacrosse team appeared in the NCAA Regional Final for the eighth time in the past ten years in 2025, and raised a conference championship trophy for a eighth straight season. The Sea Gulls finished with an 16-5 overall record, sinking Christopher Newport 13-9 in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) title game. Picked as hosts for the first weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, the Sea Gulls outlasted Haverford 9-8 after Audrey Harrington netted the game-winning goal with seven ticks remaining to send the Sea Gulls to the following weekend. SU handed St. John FIsher their first loss of the year in the Regional Semifinal, winning 10-5, before falling 8-7 to Tufts. The squad put two players on All-American Teams and six on All-Region Teams. Head coach Jim Nestor and his staff were also christened the IWLCA Chesapeake Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

WLAX preview lifting trophy

2026 Season Preview

WLAX roadies for preview

2026 Players to Watch

Audrey for preview
Audrey Harrington | Sr. | A
Ott preview
Julianna Ott | Sr. | A
Abby preview
Abby Fleishell | Sr. | D
  • Audrey Harrington - Harrington finished 2024 with 13 points and earned spot at attack in 2025. The Ellicott City native took the opportunity and turned it into a 76 point season, good enough for second in the C2C and first in assists (42). Harrington was recognized as a Second-Team All-American by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and was also selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America Women's At-Large Second Team.
  • Miranda Mears - Mears eclipsed the 100 goal mark last year during the NCAA Tournament, where the Parkside graduate recorded two hat tricks in three games of postseason play. The former Ram ranked second in the C2C with 48 goals and energizes the offensive unit. 
  • Avery Dunbar - Dunbar enters her sophmore season after fueling the Sea Gulls' run in May by giving out three helpers against Haverford and handing out another three assisted while adding two tallies in the following round against St. John Fisher. The Medford, NJ, product totaled 28 points and is poised for linear progression.
  • Julianna Ott - Ott emerged as a focal point of the offense and in the circle. The senior buried 42 goals in 2025, while adding 76 draw controls and 11 caused turnovers. Ott picked up hat tricks in three of the final five contests of the year, and scored over four goals in four games last season.
  • Grace Doyle - Doyle's 28 markers steadied Salisbury offensively. Doyle played an invaluable part in the Maroon and Gold's 9-5 win over TCNJ by firing home four goals (4/12). 
  • Regan McDonnell - McDonnell's two-way play shined throughout the campaign. The junior netted 26 scores and locked down opponents on the other end of the field by causing 29 errors and securing 32 grounds balls. McDonnell was awarded Second Team All-Region for her efforts.
  • Abby Fleishell - Fleishell's 2025 breakout year led to her being honored as the USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Defender of the Year. The senior notched career-highs in caused turnovers (36) and ground balls (45). Fleishell will be a mainstay for a defense that allowed 7.86 goals per game a season ago.
  • Reagan Davis - Davis has made 43 starts in a row and has picked up 52 ground balls and caused 40 turnovers during those appearances. The senior registered her first career assist in 2025 as well.
  • Rachel Johnson - Johnson made 12 starts a season ago and looks to fill a spot as a member of the Salisbury back line. The Fallston product caused three turnovers and secured five ground balls in 21 games played last spring. 

Paige Ellis - Ellis made 20 starts and carried an 8.31 goals against average, making 128 saves on 281 shots on cage. Ellis posted a career-high 14 save performance against Gettysburg last March and followed with allowing six goals to William Smith while making 10 saves in a win.
 

Nestor for preview
Head Coach Jim Nestor
Each game we have to play our "A" game. We feel we have one of the strongest schedules in the country... every opponent is making us better because we have to go out there and execute during practice and on gamedays to get the results we want.
Head Coach Jim Nestor on the 2026 season
2026 WLAX Schedule
2026 Schedule
2026 Roster

#GoGulls | #ChampionsWearGold

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