Ella Ryan and her Lincoln-Sudbury lacrosse teammates knew they had the chance to accomplish something special as their season dawned.
Three months later, the soon-to-be junior is now a champion. Ryan registered a hat trick in the state final, as Lincoln-Sudbury (21-2) knocked off perennial juggernaut Westwood 10-9 on June 18 to claim the Div. 1 title.
The Warriors ended a two-year run of championships by Westwood in advancing past the state semifinals at the Div. 1 level for the first time since 2012.
In Div. 2, right from the get-go it was evident Notre Dame (Hingham) was going to be a threat, and it didn’t take long for most to realize it was going to be the Cougars’ title to lose. Meredith McGinnis’ group dominated the schedule from start to finish, capturing its second straight championship (a 19-5 win over Wayland June 18) en route to completing a perfect season at 25-0. Boston College commit Alexa Kenney led the program to the pinnacle in consecutive seasons. Now, expect Notre Dame to rely on upcoming senior Jane Hilsabeck for a spark in 2024.
Top-seeded Newburyport went 21-2 in capturing the Div. 3 title with a 13-10 win over No. 6 Norwell. The Clippers dominated the Cape Ann League once again, then outscored their playoff opposition 87-22 clip over the course of five games. Locked in a 9-9 game in the championship, junior Lily Pons scored a clutch goal to help her team pull away down the stretch. Expect her to lead the way during her senior season. However, Nowell should not be counted out either, as the program returns Charlise and Danielle Cox, as well as Holly Panttila.
The Div. 4 field has been dominated by Dover-Sherborn since 2021. The third-seeded Raiders (19-6) knocked off top-ranked Ipswich in a thrilling 10-9 win to capture a state title for the third straight season. This one was harder, as the school fell behind 3-0 to open the final before Ava Hatfield buried the eventual game-clinching goal off a feed from Elo Luczkow in the waning moments.
Has the switch to a statewide format possibly created a newfound issue for competition in the lower divisions? While we have seen an improvement in the Div. 1 ranks with great games on a consistent basis in the later rounds, there are a handful of notable schools that have completely dominated Divs. 2-4 over the last two seasons. Some might say the solution is to condense things back to the prior format with two divisions. Or, you could possibly consider a simple realignment.
As mentioned, the Div. 1 girls lacrosse tournament yielded fantastic games this past spring. We saw a couple of upsets, and ultimately two teams with noteworthy playoff success in recent history (Franklin, Westwood) and two up-and-coming programs (Lincoln-Sudbury, Reading) reached the Final Four. Don’t be surprised if we see the parity continue for the next couple of years.
Over the last three years, Notre Dame (Hingham) has amassed a record of 62-6, a win percentage of .912. The program has emerged as one of the most dominant outfits in recent MIAA history, and is expected to continue its reign in 2024 with so many critical pieces returning.
Tara Battaglino, Wellesley
Kelly Blake, Medfield
Eliza Chapman, Wellesley
Siobhan Colin, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Emma Connerty, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Charlise Cox, Norwell
Danielle Cox, Norwell
Charlotte DeMaio, Westwood
Emile DeMaio, Westwood
Jane Hilsabeck, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Aubrey McMahon, Notre Dame (Hingham)
Hillary Noble, Westwood
Caroline Nozzolillo, Westwood
Holly Panttila, Norwell
Lily Pons, Newburyport
McKay Pratt, Wellesley
Alex Proefrock, Medfield
Ella Ryan, Lincoln-Sudbury
Kaitlyn Uller, Wellesley