Le Moyne’s senior attacker Bryanna Fazio has a lot of labels that define her as a lacrosse player. All-American, All-Region, All-Conference, and Most Outstanding -- just to name a few. 

As lofty as those may be, her favorite moniker may be something far more basic: student of the game.

It’s that unpretentious self-perception that has helped the Watertown, N.Y. native develop into one of the nation’s top players. Having a clear understanding of her own strengths and weaknesses and always pursuing improvement has catapulted her to the ranks of the elite.

“I’m certainly not the same player I was as a freshman,” Fazio said. “I have to keep evolving.”

Coming off an incredible 2018 season in which Fazio was a catalyst in leading the Dolphins to their first national championship, it’s hard to imagine where the improvement could come this year. 

As a junior, Fazio led Le Moyne with a career-high 105 points, scoring 78 goals and adding 27 assists. She ranked second in the Northeast-10 Conference and sixth in the nation in goals scored. In addition, she established a new school-record with 154 draw controls, leading the conference and ranking fourth in the nation.

She tallied five points or more in 12 of the team’s 23 games last season, and saved her best for the team’s stretch drive to the championship. She scored at least six points in all three NCAA Tournament games and was named the 2018 NCAA Championship’s Most Outstanding Player after netting six goals in Le Moyne’s 16-11 win over Florida Southern in the final game.

“She was a major force for us in the final run,” said head coach Kathy Taylor. “We leaned on her to lead the way offensively, and she was huge.”

That's a big reason she's the Brine/US Lacrosse NCAA Division II Women's Preseason Player of the Year.

Prior to the NCAA run, Fazio had already been named to the NE-10’s 2018 all-conference first team. That honor, alone, was enough to certify that she had fully rebounded from a difficult sophomore campaign in which she was slowed early in the season by a broken nose, and later in the year with a bout of mononucleosis. The combination of injury and illness never allowed her to fully hit her stride during that 2017 season.

“It was tough and frustrating,” said Fazio, who was able to play in just 14 games that year.

But 2018 was a different story. The accolades for Fazio continued to pour in as Le Moyne basked in the glory of its first national championship. First team East Region. First team All-American. And finally, NE-10 scholar-athlete of the year for women’s lacrosse.

Oh, by the way, she’s not just a student of the game. As a biology major with a nearly-perfect 4.0 grade point average, Fazio is as razor-sharp academically as she is athletically. She is slated to begin a three-year physical therapy school program upon graduation this spring.

“She is incredibly bright and hard working in every area of her life,” Taylor said. “She’s very good at everything she does.”

So what lies ahead for the 2019 season? In one sense, it’s like Fazio is playing with house money. After a monstrous junior campaign in which she helped lead her team to the NCAA mountaintop, there’s nothing more to prove. She’s done it all.

But Fazio says she is far from done. 

“Last year was awesome and crazy, almost surreal,” Fazio said. “I still get goose bumps when I think about it. But we’re a different team this year, and we want to be great again. My goal is just to help us win.”

Fazio, the thinker, realizes that her role as a draw specialist is just as critical to the team’s success as her play on offense. She loves the teamwork involved in the draw game, and has set a goal of controlling a lofty 60-percent of draws in 2019.

“Draws equal possession and possessions equal winning games,” she said. “It’s something that I love to do.”

Fazio is also committed to becoming a stronger leader for the Dolphins this season. Having always led by example, this year she is one of the official team captains.

Le Moyne, which tied the NCAA Division II record for wins in a season with its 22-1 mark last year, begins 2019 atop all the preseason polls. The Dolphins host No. 10 Indianapolis in their opener on March 2, the first of four straight games against 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers.

“She’s a very supportive teammate who nurtures others and models what she believes is the way to play the game,” Taylor said. “Bry wants to win and play at the highest level that she can.”