GRANVILLE, OH -- The Denison Big Red won the 2026 North Coast Athletic Conference Women's Lacrosse Tournament title with a 19-10 victory over the Wooster Fighting Scots on Saturday, May 2. The tournament title is Denison's fourth-consecutive crown and 19th overall.
As conference champions, the Big Red have earned the league's automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Tournament. The NCAA Division III selection show will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 4, on NCAA.com.
#1 DENISON (18-1) 19, #2 WOOSTER (17-2) 10
- Denison opened the scoring 2:10 into the contest as senior Mary Martinson (Concord, NH/Concord) found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead. Wooster answered less than a minute later, with senior Sophia Mellis (Pittsburgh, PA/Oakland Catholic) evening the score at 1-1. Junior Sophie Davenport (Chatham Township, NJ/Chatham) put the Big Red back in front, and goals from senior Grayson O’Marra (Bethesda, MD/Bethesda Chevy Chase) and Martinson extended the lead to 4-1. Mellis responded to pull Wooster within two, but junior Addie Clift (Alexandria, VA/West Potomac) pushed the advantage to 5-2 with 3:10 remaining. Senior Madison Goldstein (Lutherville, MD/Roland Park County School) added the final goal of the quarter, sending Denison into the second frame with a 6-2 lead.
- Much like the opening quarter, Denison struck first in the second as Martinson extended the lead to 7-2. Just 47 seconds later, O’Marra made it 8-2, and goals from Davenport and senior Bridget Sheehy (Pawleys Island, SC/Westminster) pushed the Big Red advantage to 10-2 at the 10:09 mark. Sophomore Mizan Jacobs (Santa Fe, NM/Santa Fe Preparatory) halted the run, cutting the deficit to 10-3 with 8:08 remaining. Sheehy quickly responded, followed by a goal from first-year Finlay Harmon Finlay Harmon (Towson, MD/Towson) to extend the lead to 12-3. Sophomore Rowan Pilon (Deep River, CT/Valley Regional) added Wooster’s fourth goal, but Clift answered with her second of the game at 2:19 to make it 13-4. Senior Lizzie Hardy (Gibsonia, PA/Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh) scored late for the Fighting Scots, sending the teams into halftime with Denison leading 13-5.
- Denison once again opened the scoring in the third quarter, as Harmon found the back of the net just 19 seconds into the frame for a 14-5 lead. Senior MK Barnhart (Rehoboth Beach, DE/The Hill School) added her first goal of the game at the 13:10 mark to push the advantage to 15-5, and Martinson followed with her fourth to make it 16-5. Goldstein and Barnhart then scored back-to-back goals, extending the Big Red run to five and building an 18-5 lead. Wooster’s Mellis halted the surge with her third goal at 4:21, and senior Brynne Snaguski (Rolling Hills Estates, CA/Palos Verses Peninsula) added another at 1:11 to trim the deficit to 18-7 heading into the final quarter.
- Mellis opened the fourth-quarter scoring just 46 seconds in and added another at 12:32 to cut the deficit to 18-9. Sophomore Cassidy Driscoll (Irvine, CA/Orange Lutheran) followed with a goal at the 11:53 mark, trimming the margin to 18-10. Clift closed the scoring with her third goal of the game at 2:56, securing the final 19-10 result.
2026 NCAC Women's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Mea Musillo, John Carroll
Hannah Weiss, John Carroll
Ashley Auerbach, Kenyon
Ella Rigoli, Kenyon
Anna Mapes, Wooster
Nicole McCalla, Wooster
Kylie MacMillan, Wooster
Sophia Mellis, Wooster
Grace Schlossberg, Denison
Mary Martinson, Denison
Finlay Harmon, Denison
Grayson O'Marra, Denison
MVP: Bridget Sheehy, Denison