National Scoring Leader Paige Selhorn Took a Chance on Cincinnati

Cincinnati coach Gina Thomas never watched Paige Selhorn play live during the attacker’s recruitment in 2022.

Thomas was pregnant with her second child when assistant coaches Jamie Redding and Haley Hardey brought Selhorn to Thomas’ attention. They touted her as a can’t-miss recruit.

“They were like, ‘You’ve got to see this kid,’” Thomas said. “I couldn’t, but [I watched] a lot of video. What I saw on video was just a true competitor and a high lax IQ. We definitely wanted to tap into the New York pipeline and get some true winners.”

A Westbury, N.Y., native, Selhorn grew up in a lacrosse-filled household. Her father played at LIU, and her mother competed in both field hockey and lacrosse at Richmond.

Selhorn’s older siblings each pursued college lacrosse careers, with her sister attending Tampa and her brother suiting up for both Stony Brook and Tampa.

“It pushed me to be a better version of myself,” Selhorn said. “I didn’t have any other choice. Lacrosse was my whole life growing up, and I’ve grown to love it so much.”

Initially, Cincinnati wasn’t on her radar. But an official visit and the Bearcats’ move to the Big 12 swayed Selhorn to carve her own path in the Midwest.

Now a sophomore, Selhorn leads the country in scoring. In 12 games, she has posted 75 points on 39 goals and 36 assists. Selhorn’s prolific production places her alongside superstars like North Carolina’s Chloe Humphrey and Northwestern’s Madison Taylor.

“I’m just so happy that I’m up there because I’ve put in a lot of work, and I’ve gained confidence in myself as a leader as well as on the field,” Selhorn said. “I wasn’t really prepared at first to have taken on the offense and be a leader on the field, considering I’m only a sophomore. But I’ve had teammates that really have trust in me.”

Last season, Selhorn primarily took on a feeder role. She dished 45 assists in 17 games, the second-highest single-season figure in program history.

While Selhorn netted 20 goals, she often deferred scoring responsibilities to Lauren Ottensmeyer and Camryn Callaghan, a duo that combined for 103 goals in 2025.

“We gave her a lot of freedom on the offensive end to do what she’s really good at, just play the game and be the competitor she is without a ton of pressure and some upperclassmen that could put the ball away,” Thomas said. “We talked a lot in her freshman year about, ‘Paige, just be you.’”

But as Ottensmeyer graduated and Callaghan transferred to Ohio State for her final year of eligibility, Selhorn knew she’d have to embrace an elevated offensive role. Back home on Long Island, she logged countless hours refining her shot alongside her older brother.

“It’s been a journey, and lucky for us, a really quick one,” Thomas said. “We talked after the season and in the beginning of the fall, saying ‘Hey Paige, there’s going to be a lot more eyes on you this year. A lot of people now know exactly what you’re capable of, so you’re going to have to put out a lot more.’”

Selhorn’s offseason focus on scoring has paid immediate dividends. The sophomore has raised her shooting percentage from 29 percent as a freshman to 52.7 percent this year. She’s emerged as a force from the 8-meter, burying 12 of 16 free position shots.

Still, her prowess as a facilitator has seldom wavered. Selhorn has recorded at least three assists in seven games in 2026. She set a Cincinnati single-game record with seven assists against Central Michigan on Feb. 20 and is second all-time in the program’s career assist leaderboard.

With Selhorn quarterbacking the Bearcats attack, three of her teammates — Payton Kozina, Lexie Wolf and Alyse Keels — have hit the 20-goal mark.

“For this new season, I definitely had to find new connections,” Selhorn said. “I see the field so well that I want to push my teammates to have confidence in themselves to be able to cut, and I’ll find them. Someone like Lexie Wolf, I’ll always have my head up looking for her, and she knows that. I’ll give her an eye, and she’ll just [cut] backdoor.”

Cincinnati has built an 8-4 record as it enters Big 12 play Saturday at UC Davis. Thomas said the Bearcats have experienced highs and lows, but they’re intent on qualifying for the Big 12 tournament in Florida.

It’s a stage Selhorn and her teammates fell short of in the conference’s inaugural season and one they know won’t prove a simple pathway.

“Last year, it didn’t go our way, and I just want to be better as a team, as myself and trust everyone that the work we’ve been doing in showing up and putting 100 percent every day to get that done,” Selhorn said. “Our motto is ‘Make it to May,’ and I truly believe we have the capability and the talent to get there.”

For Thomas, the recruit she could only watch on tape continues to produce moments of magic before her eyes.

“I’m really elated that Paige Selhorn decided to take a chance on Cincinnati and continue to build and put this program in a position of light,” Thomas said. “You don’t get a kid that’s leading the country in points that doesn’t put in the work, doesn’t prioritize lacrosse. We are led by Paige Selhorn on and off the field.”