Lauren Pittman Named USA Lacrosse Division III Women's Preseason Player of the Year

Few players in Division III women’s lacrosse are more consistent than Franklin & Marshall’s Lauren Pittman.

The senior attacker has scored at least 50 goals every season of her career, and she also plays a big role on the team’s draw unit, winning over 100 draw controls each of the past two seasons. 

Franklin & Marshall head coach Renee Dowd said she expects to see even more from Pittman this year as the star attacker has pushed herself in the weight room, adding more power to her game to go with her outstanding creativity.

With expectations higher than ever, Pittman is the USA Lacrosse Division III Women’s Preseason Player of the Year.

On Wednesday, USA Lacrosse honored a trio of others who are at the top of their respective positions — Stevens midfielder Stefanie Sellitto, Salisbury defender Abby Fleishell and Wesleyan goalie Izzy Weintraub.

Continue below to read more about each player recognized.

POSITIONAL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

Preseason Attacker of the Year — Lauren Pittman, Franklin & Marshall

Pittman has steadily been one of the top offensive options in the nation, earning two consecutive first-team IWLCA All-American selections.

Preseason Midfielder of the Year — Stefanie Sellitto, Stevens

Selitto is a force all over the field. She’s led the Ducks in goals the past two seasons, scoring over 60 goals in both campaigns. In 2025, she tied her own single-season program record with 165 draw controls, and she broke the school’s record for career draw controls (411). Defensively, she set a career high with 53 ground balls in a season and had another season causing over 20 turnovers. She’s a big reason why Stevens reached the NCAA tournament Round of 16, the best finish the team has ever had, and she will be a big reason the Ducks continue to have success in 2026.

Preseason Defender of the Year — Abby Fleishell, Salisbury

Fleishell is an athletic defender that combines her physical traits with great instincts, causing havoc on the defensive end. She set career highs in 2025 in ground balls (45), caused turnovers (36) and draw controls (59). Even though Salisbury lost to Tufts in the NCAA tournament regional final, Fleishell showed out, tying a career high with five ground balls while causing three turnovers. The Sea Gulls held the high-powered Jumbos in check, keeping them to only eight goals — half their season average. Fleishell will be the anchor of a Salisbury defense that allowed only 7.86 goals against in 2025.

Preseason Goalie of the Year — Izzy Weintraub, Wesleyan

Weintraub has been a mainstay between the pipes for the Cardinals the past two seasons, and she upped the ante in 2025 with a career best in save percentage (.507). She put together 12 games with a save percentage of at least 50 percent, and she had five games with at least 10 saves. She also made nine saves and played a key role in Wesleyan’s 13-10 victory over Middlebury, handing the Panthers their first loss in 67 games. The senior captain is known as a relentless worker. Head coach Kim Williams said, “She should have a tent out at our field because she spends so much time out there.”