Marian Claims 2026 Women's Lacrosse Tournament Title
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - (Box Score) For the first time in program history, Marian University has claimed the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) tournament title. The Knights defeated the Lawrence Tech Blue Devils on Saturday evening, 11-7. The Marian win snaps a five-year tournament championship streak for Lawrence Tech.
Marian (IN) turned back Lawrence Tech's second-half push with a decisive burst in the third quarter and went on to an 11-7 win Saturday at ASV Field in Indianapolis. After Lawrence Tech trimmed a three-goal halftime deficit to one, Ella Grace Giedd scored twice in a 13-second span to restore control, and the Knights never let the lead slip again.
The victory came after Marian built a 7-4 halftime edge by outscoring Lawrence Tech 5-2 in the second quarter. The teams were tied 2-2 late in the first quarter after goals from Rylie Boezeman and Ruby Mason for Marian and Mari Pellmann and Bella Louwerse for Lawrence Tech. Marian then seized momentum in the second. Alex Dean scored twice in the quarter, Delaney Koles added another, and Boezeman converted on a power-play chance before Giedd scored with 10 seconds left in the half to make it 7-4.
Lawrence Tech answered quickly after the break. Pellmann scored at 11:53 of the third quarter, and Alyson Walendzak followed at 10:33 to cut Marian's lead to 7-6. That was as close as Lawrence Tech would get. Giedd answered at 6:52, then struck again at 6:39 to push the advantage back to 9-6. Marian added another key goal early in the fourth quarter when Boezeman scored at 13:43 for a 10-6 lead.
Giedd finished with three goals and three assists to lead Marian's attack, while Boezeman also scored three times. Alex Dean added two goals, and Esbeydi Montes delivered the late insurance score with 1:25 remaining for the final margin. Marian scored 11 goals on 28 shots and recorded six assists. The Knights also made 20 clears and capitalized twice on power-play opportunities.
Lawrence Tech was paced by Pellmann's three-goal game, and Walendzak added two scores, including a man-up goal at 9:13 of the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to 10-7. The Blue Devils held an edge in draw controls, 14-6, and finished with 20 ground balls, but Marian's defense and goaltending steadied the game in key stretches. Goalkeeper Aniyah Jones played all 60 minutes and made nine saves for Marian, helping hold Lawrence Tech to one goal over the final 9:13.
Marian earns the WHAC's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships on May 11-15 in Decatur, Ala. The NAIA Women's Lacorsse Selection Show is set for May 4 at 5 p.m. est.
All-Time Tournament Champions (seed)
2013: (1) Indiana Tech
2014: (1) Davenport
2015: (1) Davenport
2016: (3) Lawrence Tech
2017: No Tournament
2018: (2) Lawrence Tech
2019: (1) Indiana Tech
2020: No Tournament - COVID
2021: (3) Lawrence Tech
2022: (1) Lawrence Tech
2023: (1) Lawrence Tech
2024: (1) Lawrence Tech
2025: (1) Lawrence Tech
2026: (1) Marian