No. 20 Ephs Earn At-Large Bid into NCAA Division III Tournament

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - For the seventh time in program history and the first time since the 2014 season, the No. 20-ranked Williams College women's lacrosse team will be making an appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, as the Ephs earned an at-large bid onto the national stage.

The Ephs (9-7, 5-5 NESCAC) will square off against Grove City (16-3, 9-0 Presidents' Athletic Conference) during first-round action Saturday at 1 p.m. on the campus of William Smith College in Geneva, New York. The 1998 and 2000 version of the Ephs finished as runner-up on the national stage, while the 2014 team advanced to the Sweet 16.

The 2026 Ephs defeated then-No. 3 Colby, 11-9, on March 7 in Waterville, Maine, as senior captain and attack Franny Donohue finished with three goals and two assists and first-year goalie Savoy McMahon was fantastic in the fourth quarter, stopping all four shots and keeping the Mules off the scoreboard in the final 15 minutes.

Donohue tallied three goals and four assists and first-year midfielder Ella Ryan scored a hat trick during a 12-10 victory at then-No. 15 University of Scranton on March 24, as the Ephs outscored the hosts, 5-2, in the fourth quarter. The Ephs have received at least one point this season from 17 different student-athletes.

Donohue ranks second in the NESCAC in total points (79), second in points per game (4.94), second in goals per game (3.06), third in total goals (49), third in assists per game (1.88) and fourth in total assists (30). Senior captain and attack Katy McCullough (24 goals, 3 assists, 27 points), junior attack Sydney Puntus (10-15-25) and junior midfielder Reece Willison (16-4-20) have provided outstanding support on offense.

Senior captain and defender Meaghan Day has compiled a team-leading 22 caused turnovers, while ranking in a tie for first with 28 ground balls. Senior midfielder Paige Nelson has done a little bit of everything, ranking in a tie for first on the team in ground balls (28) and also compiling 17 caused turnovers and 12 goals.

Grove City won its conference championship at home by a score of 10-4 against Chatham Saturday to arrive in the NCAA Tournament by way of the automatic qualifier. The Wolverines have been led this season by Taylor Blythe (26 goals, 59 assists), Jess Robinette (52 goals, 24 assists) and Tori Stevenson (39 goals, 32 assists). Defender Gabri Hallam is tied for first in the entire nation, including Division I, II and III women's lacrosse student-athletes, in total caused turnovers with 79. Her 4.16 caused turnovers per game ranks third in Division III.