Florida Ends AAC Tenure with Another Conference Championship

Florida officially has enough AAC championship rings for an entire hand.

The Gators, led by Maggie Hall’s five goals and two assists, topped James Madison 21-11 on Saturday at Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex, closing a six-year run in the AAC as the unquestioned top team.

With 2025 bringing about the inaugural Big 12 women’s lacrosse season, Florida will leave the AAC with five conference championships, winning the title in every season the tournament was contested. (There was no tournament during the 2020 pandemic season.)

Emily Heller and Ashley Gonzalez each scored four goals for Florida, which will carry a 17-game winning streak into the NCAA tournament. Danielle Pavinelli had three goals and three assists. Hall and Heller tied the championship record with nine goals in the tournament.

Florida never trailed against James Madison, getting out to a 2-0 lead and holding an 11-8 lead at halftime. The Gators broke it open by ending the third period on a three-goal run after the teams exchanged goals to the start the second half.

James Madison’s hopes of a comeback were dashed quickly, even if Isabella Peterson scored to begin the final quarter. Hall and Gonzalez answered with goals 78 seconds apart, stifling the Dukes’ attempt at earning the automatic qualifier.

It would be a major surprise if JMU was left out of the NCAA tournament field, especially with a February win over North Carolina on its resume.