DURANGO, Colo. – Fort Lewis College women's lacrosse opens a new chapter Tuesday, beginning the 2026 season against Missouri Western State University under first-year head coach JoJo Lutz.
Looking Back
Fort Lewis finished 1-15 overall in 2025, but the season featured notable individual performances. Seniors Sydney Tannaci and Samantha Rodgers earned Honorable Mention All-RMAC recognition.
Rodgers established herself as one of the conference's top defenders, collecting her third consecutive All-RMAC honor. She led the team with 64 draw controls, 43 ground balls, and 43 caused turnovers. Rodgers ranked third in the RMAC in caused turnovers per game (2.69) and eighth in ground balls per game (2.69). She enters her senior season with 115 career ground balls, 96 caused turnovers, and 71 draw controls.
Tannaci provided steady production in the midfield, totaling 36 ground balls, 26 draw controls, and 25 caused turnovers in 16 games. Her 1.56 caused turnovers per game ranked seventh in the conference. She begins her senior year with 71 career ground balls, 61 draws, and 53 caused turnovers.
The Schedule
Tuesday's season opener against Missouri Western will be played at a neutral site. The Skyhawks then have two weeks before another nonconference matchup against McKendree.
Conference play follows, with 10 RMAC contests on the schedule. Fort Lewis hosts CSU Pueblo at Ray Dennison Memorial Field on Saturday, March 14 for its home opener. The Skyhawks will play five home games this season.
The Roster
In addition to Rodgers and Tannaci, 15 players return who saw action last season. Three of the team's top four goal scorers are back, led by sophomore Jasmine Nguyen, who scored 24 goals as a freshman. Senior Diamond Velasco and junior Piper Price combined for 25 goals last season.
Sophomore Maddie Thompson ranked third on the team with 26 ground balls and was second in draw controls with 41. Junior Olivia Tilbury is the lone goalkeeper on the roster. She appeared in five games last season, allowing 32 goals and posting a .304 save percentage.
Three freshmen — Adalyn Murray, Kelcie Bolling, and Jordan Delgado — join the roster. All are midfielders from Oregon and California.
Around the RMAC
In the preseason coaches' poll, Colorado Mesa University and Regis University were tied for first. Fort Lewis was picked to finish sixth.
Colorado Mesa is currently 0-4 after a narrow loss to Missouri Western. CSU Pueblo stands at 2-0, Westminster is 1-0, and both UCCS and Regis are 0-1.
Scouting Missouri Western
The Griffons enter Tuesday at 2-1, with wins over William Jewell (17-4) and Colorado Mesa (9-7). Their lone loss was a 10-8 decision against Westminster. Missouri Western finished 9-8 in 2025.
Offensively, the Griffons have totaled 34 goals and 23 assists with a .771 shots-on-goal percentage. Defensively, they have allowed 21 goals and eight assists while holding opponents to a .638 shots-on-goal percentage. Missouri Western also owns a .766 clear percentage, 40 caused turnovers, and 63 ground balls.
Madi Brinkman leads the team with nine goals, followed by Caetryn Gilreath with six. Brooke Tjernlund has a team-best seven assists, while Jessica Brook and Maddie Chidester have combined for nine. Gretchen Wenner has six caused turnovers and six ground balls, and Rhianne Toebben leads the team with eight ground balls.
Ava Garaway has started all three games in goal, allowing 20 goals and posting a .523 save percentage.
