2024 NCAA Lacrosse Preview: No. 13 Army (Women)
Sign up for the latest news & updates
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2024 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
The 2024 Division I women's college lacrosse season kicks off February 9. As is our annual tradition, we’re featuring every team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20 in the lead up to opening day. Check back to USALaxMagazine.com each weekday this month for new previews, scouting reports and rival analysis.
2023 Record: 15-4 (8-1, Patriot)
Final Ranking (2023): No. 17
Head Coach: Michelle Tumolo
Assistants: Sammy Cermack, Katie Chrest Erbe, Charlotte Sofield and Amy Prince
Army turned heads in 2022 when the Black Knights trumped Navy for the first time in program history, bringing the heart-on-her-sleeve head coach Michelle Tumolo to tears. But the Black Knights took a more significant step toward becoming national contenders in 2023.
After an early season win over Rutgers — a breakout program in 2022 that wound up having a down year last year — Army entered the national rankings for the first time, and it stayed there. A conference tournament runner-up finish and first-ever NCAA tournament appearance later, it’s safe to say another successful season won’t be much of a surprise in 2024. The chance for an encore that’s better than the main set had Tumolo energized ahead of the team’s first preseason practice on January 8.
“At 3:45 today, we are going to hit the turf for the first practice,” Tumolo said. “I know the vibes are going to be high. The energy is going to be there.”
Energy is important, but Tumolo knows it alone won’t win championships.
“You also have to put your cleats in the turf and work really hard,” she said.
The preseason ranking that earned the Black Knights this preview? Pfft.
“You have a ranking, but it means nothing,” Tumolo said. “It’s a reflection of the year we had before ... it’s an opportunity. We always know it’s an opportunity to grow our program. It goes with hard work when no one is looking in practice.”
Brigid Duffy, A, So. (56G, 26A, 90DC, 19CT, 35GB)
Julia Gorajek, A, Sr. (37G, 12A)
Lindsey Serafine, G, So. (10.28GAA, .474 SV%)
Army had a breakout season in 2023 partially on the back of one of the game’s rising stars, Brigid Duffy. One look at her stat line proves Duffy epitomizes the idea of a do-it-all midfielder. But Duffy does more than use her athleticism to scoop ground balls, score goals and motor the ball up the field. She’s a two-sport star who helped the Black Knights’ soccer program make the Patriot League title game — so Tumolo hasn’t seen much of her on the lacrosse field this academic year. However, she’s confident in Duffy’s preparation for 2024 in large part because of her time playing soccer.
“We know she is in shape and ready to go,” Tumolo said. “She brings a unique athleticism that is smooth and fun. She’s fun to watch. It’s almost mesmerizing.”
That’s high praise coming from Tumolo, who once electrified fans during her run at Syracuse and with the U.S. national team. The hard skills Duffy displays on the field are fueled by a lacrosse IQ made even higher by soccer.
“She sees passing lanes better than most people,” Tumolo said. “She knows when a defender is on her back, how to turn and beat them down the field in soccer. It’s the same in lacrosse. She knows how to find the passing lane. She knows how to feed the ball. She knows how to beat people to the ball on ground balls and beat [a defender in 1v1] to the outside and get a shot off.”
Geneva Milch Cesoni, A, Fr. (Under-Armour All-America West team member at West Ranch, Calif.)
Ellie Nawa, M, Fr. (2x all-state selection at Hamilton Southeastern, Ind.)
Ryan Remaly, M, Fr. (2x High School All-American at Clearview Regional, N.J.)
Duffy’s return to the field will help the Black Knights in the circle and on offense. Ditto for Gorajek on offense (and Tumolo says Gorajek may be more involved on the draw this season). But the loss of Julia Franzoni (41G, 114DC) leaves significant holes to fill in both areas, and freshmen may get thrown into the fire immediately. California-to-New-York transplant Geneva Milch Cesoni is one. Tumolo said she built a chemistry with Duffy, Gorajek and Allison Reilly in the fall.
“She is a natural lacrosse player that really gets it,” Tumolo said. “I am hoping these next few weeks that she feels confident about getting some minutes because she is going to be.”
Nawa, a USA Lacrosse All-American, was a name Tumolo mentioned as a potential person to contribute to the draw unit this year. Ryan Remaly also produced an All-American career at Clearview Regional.
Graduations: Kathleen Sullivan, A; Julia Franzoni, A, Jolie Riedell, M; Cathleen Parker, D; Sidney Weigand, D; Evelyn Picket, D; Malina Hatton, D, Paige Lennon, D
Madeline Lenkart, M, Sr. (5G, 2A, 9GB)
Lenkart sustained a knee injury in 2022 that cut shot her season, Tumolo’s first as head coach. She played in all 19 games last year, starting one. Tumolo says the now-healthy Lenkart will likely see more minutes and is in the running for a starting spot in 2024, especially with the Black Knights’ starting defense plus Franzoni lost to graduation. However, her impact has long been felt even if the stat line doesn’t show it.
“She has stayed steady and confident,” Tumolo said. “She is probably going to be a starting midfielder. She does all the dirty work. She knows her role very well. It may not be scoring three or four goals per game. It may be scrapping on the draw circle and finding the lane when she needs it.”
“Beat Navy” is more than a catchphrase on the West Point campus. It’s stitched into the athletic department’s competitive spirit. Army has beaten Navy in women’s lacrosse during the Tumolo era — and likely will have to go through the Mids on the way to a conference crown. There’s one team that the Black Knights have yet to score a win against in program history, however, and it’s one that the entire Patriot League has struggled to beat: Loyola. The Greyhounds claimed their fourth-straight Patriot League crown in 2023, beating Army to do it.
So, is “Beat Loyola” a thing in the Black Knights’ locker room?
“It’s going to be on our radar forever,” Tumolo said. “They are so incredible talented and coached so well. That’s the one thing we haven’t done yet on our list. We want to win a championship — a national championship, too — but every single year, we are going to be looking at that [conference championship].”
Of course, that doesn’t mean beating Navy isn’t important. The Mids were the last team to beat Loyola in a Patriot League championship game in 2018. Tumolo said the competition in the conference is only getting stronger.
“Our conference is getting better,” Tumolo said. “You see the parity. Navy is getting better as well. Navy has [beaten Loyola]. [Beating Loyola] is something we are hoping to do, but we have to take care of the business in front of us first.”
“Army is incredibly well coached. They have one of the top midfielders in the country in Brigid Duffy. She’s an incredible athlete. Anyone who goes up against Army knows they’re going to be facing a tough team that’s incredibly resilient.”
Army’s 2024 schedule suggests a shift in strategy. The Black Knights’ non-conference schedule projects as the 24th-most difficult, a considerable step up from the previous year’s 42nd-ranked non-conference slate. This season’s schedule, which includes matchups against Syracuse and USC, will challenge the team heading into Patriot League play. Was it the vagaries of year-to-year logistics, or an intentional gamble by the staff to prepare the team better for postseason play?
Beth Ann Mayer is a Long Island-based writer. She joined USA Lacrosse in 2022 after freelancing for Inside Lacrosse for five years. She first began covering the game as a student at Syracuse. When she's not writing, you can find her wrangling her husband, two children and surplus of pets.
