WASHINGTON, D.C. - Catholic women's lacrosse will take on Meredith on Saturday as it participates in its 14th NCAA Tournament in program history. The Cardinals were an at-large selection after posting a 12-7 record while taking on a challenging non-conference schedule. 

Catholic NCAA Tournament History | Live Stream | Live Stats | Tickets = Cash Only - $10 Adult $5 Senior or Student

HOW THEY GOT HERE

After a 1-5 start to the season with all five losses coming to teams ranked in the top five at the time, Catholic finished the year with 11 wins in 13 games, earning ranked victories over Chicago and Colorado College, two ranked teams that are in the 2024 NCAA Tournament field. 

Catholic went 8-1 in Landmark Conference play, falling 12-8 to Scranton in the regular season before dropping the championship contest to the 24th-ranked Royals. The Cardinals defeated Susquehanna 16-1 in the Landmark Conference Semifinals to advance to the Championship Game in Scranton. The Cardinals outscored Landmark opponents 165-56 in nine conference games. 

The number two seed in the USA South women's lacrosse tournament, Meredith won its 10th consecutive conference championship to earn an automatic qualifier bid into the field. The Avenging Angels defeated Methodist, 20-8, to continue its tradition of dominance in the conference. 

Meredith is riding a six-game winning streak after posting an overall record of 14-6 with a record of 8-1 in USA South play. The Avenging Angels fell 15-14 in the first meeting at Methodist before exacting revenge in the championship game. Meredith outscored its opponents 213-42 in conference contests. 


ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

For Catholic, Rachel Rubenstein led a group of five athletes honored by the Landmark Conference. Rubenstein was named Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year while earning her third consecutive All-Landmark First Team selection. Rubenstein leads Catholic with 71 ground balls and 52 caused turnovers, setting the Catholic program record for caused turnovers in a season despite missing two games early this season with an illness. 

Mia Perkell, Jessie Lee, and Lauren Bendo were all second-team selections for Catholic with Bendo as the lone repeat recipient of all-conference honors. Perkell leads the team with 35 goals scored while chipping in with six assists. Lee has 13 goals and seven assists to go along with 57 draw controls and 34 ground balls. Bendo is second on Catholic with 20 caused turnovers while adding 38 ground balls, 30 draw controls, and scoring two goals. 

Finally, Riley Martin was an honorable mention selection with 16 goals and five assists while placing second on Catholic with 53 draw controls. 

For the Avenging Angels, Reese Walker earned Offensive Player of the Year honors while Kenzie Todd was named USA South Rookie of the Year. 

Walker led the offensive efforts for Meredith, scoring 51 goals and handing out 49 assists in 16 games this season. Walker totaled 100 points and scored multiple goals in 12 games. Todd scored 46 goals and dished out 21 assists in 19 games, scoring multiple goals in each of her last five games. 

Walker, Todd, Lauryn Turner, and Frannie Rosone were named to the All-USA South First Team while Arrianna May, Katherine Couch, and Madeline Horrell were also honored at the conference level. 


NO STRANGERS TO TOURNAMENT PLAY

As mentioned above, Catholic will participate in its 14th NCAA Tournament after missing out in 2023. Catholic is 19-13 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and an astounding 9-0 in First Round contests. Catholic has won seven of its nine First Round events by 10 or more goals, including a 22-goal win over St. Mary's (IN) in 2022. 

Now appearing in its 10th NCAA Tournament, Meredith has a pair of victories in NCAA Tournament history, including a 16-11 victory over Washington & Jefferson a year ago. Meredith also picked up a 20-9 victory over Merchant Marine in the 2018 NCAA Tournament.