Ashlee Brackett

Women's Lacrosse 4/22/2025 12:26:00 PM Chase Strawser

Elon Welcomes Queens For Rudd Field Finale

ELON, N.C. – The Elon women's lacrosse team (7-6, 4-2 CAA) is set to host Queens (5-10, 2-3 ASUN) for its final non-conference and home contest of the 2025 season. The game is a rescheduled meeting from Feb. 12 that was postponed due to inclement weather. Queens visits Rudd Field for the final stop of its four-game road swing, coming off an 18-13 setback at Coastal Carolina this past weekend.

Elon is riding the momentum of an exhilarating victory over Towson on Saturday at home, 16-8. Sammy Fisher and Ana Lee Vandiver led the team offensively with a combined 11 points and nine of Elon's 16 scores. The CAA Rookie of the Week, Lillian Austin, recorded a career-high six points, including a career-best five assists. On the defensive end, CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week Caitlin Walsh made six saves and anchored a unit that shut out the Tigers in a pivotal 7-0 third quarter in favor of the Phoenix.

The win clinched Elon the final spot in the 2025 CAA Tournament. While Wednesday night's clash has no impact on postseason seeding, the Phoenix will look to build momentum toward the season finale and claim its ninth win of the season. Nine wins would match last season's win total and secure the program's first back-to-back winning seasons since the 2016 and 2017 campaigns (excluding the shortened 2020 season due to COVID-19).

HOW TO FOLLOW

Live stats are available by CLICKING HERE
The game will be broadcast on FloCollege by CLICKING HERE
Follow the official social media accounts of Elon Lacrosse:
- Twitter/X - @ElonWLax
- Instagram - @ElonWLax

SCOUTING QUEENS

Queens is in its third season at the NCAA Division I level and is playing as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
Queens enters the weekend with a 5-10 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in conference play.
Defense has been the backbone of the Royals this season. Queens ranks second in the ASUN in both ground balls per game (19.13) and caused turnovers per game (12.13). Senior defender Avery McMullin leads the way in both categories, collecting 36 ground balls and causing 29 turnovers.
On the offensive end, the Royals are powered by juniors Kayleen Favreau and Elise Grissett. Favreau is the reigning ASUN Player of the Year and the first in program history. Both players have surpassed the 60-point mark this season and rank in the top six in the conference for points per game.
Queens is led by third-year head coach Kelly McQuilkin, a former Towson standout defender who finished her collegiate career ranked in the top 10 for caused turnovers in program history. She holds a 24-26 career record as the head coach for the Royals.

SERIES HISTORY VS. QUEENS

Wednesday's game marks the third all-time meeting between Elon and Queens. The two teams have met each season since Queens transitioned to NCAA Division I competition in 2023. The series is tied 1-1, with each team earning a win on its home field.
The most recent meeting came in 2024, when Queens earned a 15-10 victory. The game was knotted at 9-9 entering the fourth quarter, but the Royals pulled ahead with three straight goals to open the final frame. Favreau led the way for Queens with seven points, including five goals.
The inaugural meeting between the two squads took place at Rudd Field in 2023, where Elon claimed a 13-9 win. That game marked Queens' first road contest and just its second-ever as a Division I program. Sammy Fisher led the Phoenix with four goals and tied the program's single-game record at the time for draw controls with 12.
The game will be the first meeting in series history not held in the month of February.

CAA HONORS

Sammy Fisher was named the 2024-25 CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, boasting a 3.95 GPA and leading the team in scoring with 55 points.
Reagan Kuehn earned CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week on March 17 after totaling seven caused turnovers and nine ground balls across games against High Point and Monmouth.
Danielle Swietoniowski was named CAA Rookie of the Week on March 24 after posting a five-point outing (3G, 2A) in a win over Hofstra.
Lillian Austin took home CAA Co-Rookie of the Week on March 31, recording her first career hat trick in a 13-10 win over Campbell.
Caitlin Walsh earned CAA Co-Defensive Player of the Week on April 21 after anchoring the Phoenix defense in a 16-8 win over Towson. She made six saves and posted a .429 save percentage, helping hold the Tigers scoreless in the third quarter.
Lillian Austin picked up her second CAA Rookie of the Week award on April 21, dishing out a career-high five assists in the win over Towson.

SUPER SAMMY

Sammy Fisher continues to leave her mark in the program record book. The senior currently ranks third all-time at Elon with 151 career points, while sitting second in goals with 122. Fisher is also tied for fifth in career assists (29), second in total shots (289), eighth in free-position goals (14), and fourth all-time in draw controls (146). As it stands, she's tied for seventh in career games started with 59.
As the regular season winds down, Fisher has continued to climb the program's single-season leaderboards. With two games remaining, she holds the second-most points in a single season (55), ranks fourth in goals (40), and sits sixth in both assists (15) and total shots (96).
Her production has only improved as the team wraps up CAA play. With one conference game remaining, Fisher has already set a new program record for most points in a single CAA season with 31. She also sits tied for first in both goals (25) and shots (50) in league play.
On top of her on-field achievements, Fisher was named the 2024-25 CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, boasting a 3.95 GPA as a sport management major.

MJ IN THE DRAW CIRCLE

Sophomore draw specialist MJ Santa Barbara was named a preseason All-American after bursting onto the scene with a CAA record 151 draw controls a year ago. However, she missed Elon's first six games of the 2025 regular season due to injury. Since her return, she has barely skipped a beat.
In her first game back, she tied her own single-game program record with 15 draw controls at High Point — a mark she originally set in last year's win over Monmouth. The 15 draws are tied for the most in a single game in the CAA this season, alongside Drexel's Anna Maria Gragnani and Delaware's Ella Rishko.
Santa Barbara had 12 draw controls in the win over Campbell, breaking the school's career draw control record, in just her 21st career game, and giving her an even 200 for her career.
Since that point, she has increased her draw control total to 234, which ranks sixth in CAA history. She is 11 behind James Madison's Haley Warden (2015-2018) for fifth.
Since her return, Elon has posted a 61.1% draw control win rate (140-89), a notable improvement from the 49.3% rate across the first six games without her. That 61.1% mark would rank eighth nationally. Loyola Maryland leads the country at .714 and James Madison follows at .668.
Although she does not qualify for national leaderboards due to missed games (players must compete in 75% of team contests), Santa Barbara is averaging 10.38 draw controls per game, a figure that would rank ninth nationally. James Madison's Madison Epke leads the nation with 12.93

LOOKING BACK TO LOOK AHEAD

Elon went 9-8 in 2024 and posted a 5-3 record in the CAA, qualifying for the CAA Tournament semifinals. That record was a five-win improvement over 2023 both overall and in conference.
The Phoenix returns seven of its eight leading scorers from a year ago, including Sammy Fisher, who paced Elon with 37 goals and 44 points. She was a preseason All-CAA pick.
Sophomore Reagan Kuehn is the headliner on defense, earning All-CAA honorable mention status in the preseason. She had 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers a year ago.
MJ Santa Barbara, one of the best in the country in the draw circle, is just a sophomore and earned preseason All-American status by USA Lacrosse. She broke Elon's single-game and single-season draw control record last year, as well as the CAA's single-season draw control mark. Her 8.88 draw controls per game were the most in the country for a freshman and ranked No. 7 nationally.

PRESEASON AWARDS

Sophomore MJ Santa Barbara was named honorable mention preseason All-America by USA Lacrosse as a draw control specialist. She is the first Elon player to earn preseason All-America status since Stephanie Asher was named honorable mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse in 2018.
Senior Sammy Fisher was named to the preseason All-CAA Team as one of five attackers recognized. She led Elon with 37 goals and 44 points, adding 14 ground balls, 16 draw controls and five caused turnovers.
Sophomore Reagan Kuehn was named honorable mention preseason All-CAA after leading Elon with 36 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. She added a program record 11 caused turnovers in conference play and had at least one caused turnover in 11 straight games to open her collegiate career.

ABOUT THE COACHING STAFF

Josh Hexter enters his 12th season at the helm of the Elon lacrosse program in 2025 as the only head coach in the program's history. He currently holds a record of 87-96, including a 32-35 mark in conference play. Hexter has a career head coaching mark of 159-138, which includes a 72-42 record in seven seasons at Bridgewater State.
Assistant Coach Kelly Dowd is in her first season at Elon after two seasons as an assistant at Connecticut. She is a 2017 graduate of Queens University of Charlotte.
Assistant Coach Katie Brodsky is also in her first season at Elon and most recently served as the lacrosse program head at Seattle Preparatory School. She is a 2023 graduate of Arizona State.

INTO THE RECORD BOOKS

Elon returned three of its top seven goal scorers in program history, along with a wealth of elite statistical talent elsewhere. Listed below are the current student-athletes among the Phoenix's all-time top 10 career leaderboards:

Points – 3. Sammy Fisher 151, 4. Cierra Hopson 129, t9. Anna Hackett 71
Goals – 2. Sammy Fisher 122, 3. Cierra Hopson 94, 7. Anna Hackett 64
Assists – 3. Cierra Hopson 35, t5. Sammy Fisher 29, 8. Mia Zebley 22
Shots – 2. Sammy Fisher 289, 3. Cierra Hopson 218, 9. Anna Hackett 139
Free Position Goals – 4. Anna Hackett 22, 8. Sammy Fisher 14, t10. Cierra Hopson 11, t10. Mia Zebley 11
Ground Balls – 8. Caitlin Walsh 70, 9. Reagan Kuehn 64
Draw Controls – 1. MJ Santa Barbara 234, 4. Sammy Fisher 146
Caused Turnovers – 7. Reagan Kuehn 47, 8. Jessie Penner 39 9. Brooke Scheuermann 38
Games Played – 10. Cierra Hopson 63, t11. Sammy Fisher 62
Games Started – t7. Sammy Fisher 59, 10. Cierra Hopson 53
Saves – 2. Caitlin Walsh 323, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 79
Save Percentage – 4. Caitlin Walsh .376, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu .329
GAA – 5. Caitlin Walsh 13.07, 7. Chloe Herghelegiu 14.65
Goalie Minutes – 2. Caitlin Walsh 2455:43, 6. Chloe Herghelegiu 659:26
Goalie Wins – 2. Caitlin Walsh 19, t4. Chloe Herghelegiu 4

SINGLE-SEASON MARKS

With two games remaining in the regular season, Elon is moving into the top 10 in some single-season marks.

Points – 2. Sammy Fisher 55
Goals – 4. Sammy Fisher 40, t9. Ana Lee Vandiver 34
Assists – 6. Sammy Fisher 15
Shots – 6. Sammy Fisher 96
Draw Controls – 2. MJ Santa Barbara 83
Caused Turnovers – 6. Reagan Kuehn 23
Saves – 10. Caitlin Walsh 84
Goals Against Average – 10. Caitlin Walsh 12.17
Goalie Minutes – 7. Caitlin Walsh 778:56

SINGLE-SEASON CONFERENCE MARKS

With one conference game remaining, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for conference-only stats.

Points – 1. Sammy Fisher 31, 2. Ana Lee Vandiver 26
Goals – t1. Sammy Fisher 21, t1. Ana Lee Vandiver 21
Shots – t1. Sammy Fisher 50, 3. Ana Lee Vandiver 45
Draw Controls – 2. MJ Santa Barbara 68
Caused Turnovers – t2. Reagan Kuehn 9, t2. Eliza Ritter 9

SINGLE-SEASON FRESHMEN CONFERENCE MARKS

With one conference game remaining, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for conference-only stats by freshmen.

Assists – t3. Danielle Swietoniowski 6, t3. Lillian Austin 6
Free position goals – t6. Danielle Swietoniowski 2, t6. Addie Gilner 2

SINGLE-SEASON TEAM MARKS

With two games remaining in the regular season, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for team stats.

Wins – t5. Elon 8
Points – 5. Elon 229
Assists – 2. Elon 69
Draw Controls – 4. Elon 212
Caused Turnovers – 5. Elon 117
Clear Percentage – 3. Elon .884 (199/225)

SINGLE-SEASON CONFERENCE TEAM MARKS

With one CAA game remaining, Elon is moving into the top five marks in program history for team stats.

Wins – t1. Elon 5
Points – 1. Elon 133
Goals – 2. Elon 86
Assists – 1. Elon 47
Caused Turnovers – 3. Elon 52
Draw Controls – 2. Elon 117
Ground Balls – 5. Elon 92
Clear Percentage – t3. Elon .874 (104/119)

AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS

Elon ranks among the national top 50 in the following team and national top 50 in the following individual statistical categories:

Team Rankings
Draw Control Percentage – 25. Elon .565
Draw Controls/Game – 29. Elon 15.14
Turnovers/Game – 44. Elon 14.14

Individual Rankings
Caused Turnovers/Game – t45. Reagan Kuehn 1.64
Shots/Game – t41. Sammy Fisher 6.86
Shots on Goal/Game – 24. Sammy Fisher 5.57

AMONG THE CAA LEADERS

Elon ranks among the CAA top five in the following team stats and among the top 10 in the following individual stats:

Team Rankings
Shot Percentage – 4. Elon .417
Shots On Goal/Game – 5. Elon 20.64
Woman-Up Goals/Game – 2. Elon 2.00
Caused Turnovers/Game – 4. Elon 8.36
Fewest Turnovers/Game – 4. Elon 14.14
Draw Controls/Game – 1. Elon 15.14
Draw Control Percentage – 1. Elon .565

Individual Rankings
Points/Game – 6. Sammy Fisher 3.93
Goals/Game – 6. Sammy Fisher 2.86
Shots/Game – 4. Sammy Fisher 6.86, 9. Ana Lee Vandiver 5.71
Goals Against Average – 6. Caitlin Walsh 12.17
Saves/Game – 8. Caitlin Walsh 6.00
Save Percentage – 9. Caitlin Walsh .347
Draw Controls/Game – 1. MJ Santa Barbara 10.38, 7. Sammy Fisher 4.21
Caused Turnovers/Game – 4. Reagan Kuehn 1.64

-- ELON --

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Players Mentioned

#5 Sammy Fisher: M; 5' 7"; Junior

#12 Anna Hackett: M; 5' 5"; Sophomore

#66 Chloe Herghelegiu: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#22 Cierra Hopson: A; 5' 9"; Junior

#15 Jessie Penner: D; 5' 3"; Sophomore

#33 Brooke Scheuermann: D; 5' 7"; Junior

#11 Ana Lee Vandiver: A; 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman

#26 Caitlin Walsh: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#7 Mia Zebley: M; 5' 4"; Freshman

#13 MJ Santa Barbara: M; 5' 7"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#5 Sammy Fisher
: 5' 7"; Junior
: M

#12 Anna Hackett
: 5' 5"; Sophomore
: M

#66 Chloe Herghelegiu
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#22 Cierra Hopson
: 5' 9"; Junior
: A

#15 Jessie Penner
: 5' 3"; Sophomore
: D

#33 Brooke Scheuermann
: 5' 7"; Junior
: D

#11 Ana Lee Vandiver
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Freshman
: A

#26 Caitlin Walsh
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#7 Mia Zebley
: 5' 4"; Freshman
: M

#13 MJ Santa Barbara
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: M