GNAC Women's Lacrosse Athlete of the Week Report #7
Player Of The Week
Ella Highbarger, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (So.)
Sophomore Ella Highbarger powered the Monks to a 3-0 week with a dominant offensive showing, totaling 14 goals and three assists for 17 points while posting a 70.0 shooting percentage (14-20). She opened the week with five goals and an assist in an 18-7 win over Lasell before adding five goals and an assist in a 25-1 victory at Mitchell. Highbarger capped the week with four goals and an assist in a 16-13 conference win at New England College, while also contributing six ground balls, 11 draw controls, and five caused turnovers across the three contests.
Goalkeeper Of The Week
Keira Walsh, Emmanuel (So.)
Sophomore Keira Walsh went 2-0 in conference play for Emmanuel, highlighted by a 12-save performance in a 10-8 win over Colby-Sawyer. She finished the week with 12 saves and helped the Saints improve to 8-4 overall and 7-1 in GNAC play.
Rookie Of The Week
Kailey Krusewski, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (Fr.)
Freshman Kailey Krusewski helped power the Blue Jays to a perfect 3–0 GNAC week, totaling 15 points on 14 goals and one assist. She opened the week with seven goals in a 14–9 road victory at Simmons on Tuesday (3/31), before finding the back of the net three times in a key 10–9 home win over New England College on Thursday night (4/2). The Newington native capped off the week with a five-point performance on Senior Day, scoring four goals and adding her first career assist as the Blue Jays handled Elms College at home on Saturday (4/4).
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Rose Finlayson, Colby-Sawyer - Finlayson would power the Chargers to a split week against two of the top teams in the conference. She would start the week by scoring four goals, with one being her 100th career goal, while picking up one assist. Rose would end the week with 2 goals and 2 assists against Emmanuel. She would total 10 draw controls, three ground balls, and a 91.7 shot on goal percentage.
Jackie Cronin, Elms - Cronin had 17 points (14 goals, three assists) across a 1-2 week for the Blazers, including 16 ground balls, 14 draw controls, and 12 caused turnovers. Cronin also reached 200 career draw controls and 200 career points during the week.
Madeline Wright, Emmanuel - Wright had six goals and four assists in a 2-0 week for the Saints with nine draw controls won.
Ruby Cahill, Lasell - Cahill totaled 11 points on seven goals and four assists in a 1-1 week for the Lasers.
Riley Davis, New England College - Davis totaled 12 goals, five ground balls, and three draw controls while converting 89.5% of her shots on goal across three games. Davis opened the week with three goals, two ground balls, and three caused turnovers on Tuesday against Colby-Sawyer, followed by three goals, one ground ball, and one draw control against Saint Joseph (Conn.) on Thursday, and finished with six goals and two ground balls against Saint Joseph’s (Maine) on Saturday.
Bailey Ingala, Norwich - Ingala anchored Norwich defensively in a 9-5 GNAC victory over Rivier University, recording 10 saves while allowing just five goals across a full 60 minutes of action. The senior goalkeeper posted a 66.7 save percentage and made several key stops in the second half to preserve the Cadets’ lead in difficult weather conditions. Ingala’s performance helped secure Norwich’s fourth consecutive win and continued her strong play as the backbone of the Cadets’ defensive unit.
Athena Merck, Norwich - Merck delivered a milestone week for Norwich, totaling six points on six goals across a pair of GNAC victories. The senior attacker recorded a hat trick in a 9-5 win over Rivier University, including the 100th goal of her collegiate career. She followed with another strong showing in a 22-1 victory over Albertus Magnus College, posting three goals as Norwich produced its highest offensive output of the season. Merck also contributed on the defensive end with five ground balls and three caused turnovers, continuing to impact the game across all phases.
Ashlynn Ledoux, Rivier - Ledoux totaled eight points on seven goals and an assist in the 1-1 week for the Raiders as she began the week with a goal against Norwich and added a career-high seven points and a career best six goals in the 15-4 win over Regis.
Anna LeGault, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) - LeGault helped power the Blue Jays to a perfect 3–0 GNAC week, totaling 15 points on 10 goals and five assists. During the standout week, the junior attack also reached a major career milestone, eclipsing 200 career points. LeGault opened the week with a goal and two assists in a 14–9 road victory at Simmons on Tuesday (3/31), before adding another goal in a key 10–9 home win over New England College on Thursday night (4/2). The Colchester native then delivered a dominant performance on Senior Day, exploding for 11 points — including the 200th of her career — by scoring eight goals and adding three assists as the Blue Jays handled Elms College at home on Saturday (4/4).
Colleen Stringer, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) - Stringer had eight saves in a 2-0 week, playing a total of 57 minutes.
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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