ANNVILLE, Pa. – Winners of the last four Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Freedom championships, the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team were once again a unanimous first place selection in the preseason coaches' poll, as revealed by the league office Wednesday. The poll was conducted among the conference's eight head coaches.

Stevens earned 49 points, seven points clear of Lebanon Valley, whom the Ducks have defeated 19-5 and 19-4 in the last two MAC Freedom Tournament Finals. DeSales (37 points) and 2023 MAC Freedom finalist Misericordia (28 points) were selected third and fourth, with the top four teams in last season's conference standings projected to finish in the same spots again this year.

The entire poll can be found below:
 

Rank	Team	Points	1st Place Votes
1	STEVENS	49	7
2	Lebanon Valley	42
3	DeSales	37
4	Misericordia	28
5	Arcadia	25
6	FDU-Florham	22
7	Delaware Valley	13
8	King's	8

Stevens went 17-5 last season including an unblemished 7-0 in conference play (a second straight undefeated conference slate). The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time, advancing to the Third Round for the first time in program history.
Five all-MAC Freedom selections from last year return including two-time reigning Midfielder of the Year Stefanie Sellitto and three-time reigning Defeder of the Year Lauren Sullivan. 2025 Second Team selections Maddie Hogan and Eran Gleason as well as Honorable Mention Felicity Heilferty round out the returning all-conference five.

Sellitto earned a second straight All-Region First Team selection in addition to her all-conference honors following a 2025 campaign where she finished first or second on the team in goals, points, ground balls, and draw controls, tying her own single-season program record of 165 and becoming the first player in program history with 400.

Sullivan helped lead a Ducks' defense that yielded just 3.29 goals per game in conference play, less than half as many as any other team, and 6.86 goals per game for the year, including 12 total across two NCAA Tournament wins. Sullivan increased her ground ball, caused turnover, and draw control totals for a third straight season.

Hogan was the only Duck to score in every game last season, finishing the year third on the team with 56 goals. The Montgomery, N.J. native had five multi-goal games to start the year, then 11 straight multi-goal efforts to close the season, capped with a hat trick in an NCAA Tournament victory over TCNJ.

Gleason made a second straight All-Region team last season after setting career-bests in caused turnovers and ground balls. The senior had at least two caused turnovers and two ground balls in six games, including a two-GB, five-CT performance in the MAC Freedom Final against Lebanon Valley, helping her earn Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.

Heilferty earned a second straight all-conference selection last year, finishing the season with a .452 save percentage and 7.03 goals-against average, having allowed three goals or fewer 12 times.

Additional notables back in 2026 include Alison Murray and Alina Friz (15 goals each last season), Abby O'Brien (20 points in 16 games), Lindsay Esposito (23 caused turnovers in 22 games), and Emma Guzowski (7.13 goals-against average in 14 appearances with four starts).

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