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Opening day of the 2026 NCAA Division I women's lacrosse season is Feb. 6.
Throughout the month of January, we'll pose three burning questions for each team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Division I Women's Preseason Top 20, presented by CWENCH Hydration, starting with No. 20 James Madison and finishing with No. 1 North Carolina.
Join the conversation on social media @USALMag (IG/X/FB). Wrong answers only.
Johns Hopkins was one of the most exciting teams in Division I women’s lacrosse in 2025, both for its standouts on both sides of the ball and for its penchant for playing in one-goal and/or overtime games.
While overtime is thrilling for the fan, it’s not so much for the coach. Tim McCormack commented frequently last season about his team’s struggles either playing complete games or finishing out games, leading to matchups going to extra time that probably should not have. Naturally, that’s his focus yet again for 2026.
But more on that later.
Now in his fourth season as the head coach of the Blue Jays, McCormack has helped create a new identity at Homewood Field. He wants his team to play tenaciously and push the tempo, and he’s certainly comfortable letting his stars dig deep into their bag of tricks to make plays.
That alone makes Hopkins worth keeping an eye on this spring.
While Rachel Clark and Madison Taylor were busy chasing the single-season goals record, Reagan O’Brien was busy on the other end of the field limiting chances. And what she was able to accomplish flew under way too many radars.
O’Brien, now a senior, caused 103 turnovers, setting a single-season Division I record and breaking the mark previously held by Manhattan’s Moira Muthig (2000). It’s important to put two things into perspective here.
Firstly, O’Brien played a gauntlet of a schedule against top-notch offenses. Secondly, rules skew more and more toward offenses with each passing year, making defense even harder. Simply put, O’Brien was on another level.
“Reagan’s very, very focused on becoming the best version of herself that she can,” McCormack said. “That’s on the field, that’s off the field and in all areas. What you saw last year from her was a step in that direction. Her own personal expectation would be to come out and do what she did again.”
What O’Brien did last year allowed Johns Hopkins to play even more freely on offenses and take some chances because she accounted for so many possession changes on her own. McCormack is counting on that again.
“A possession’s a possession, no matter how you get it,” he said. “This affords you the chance to maybe not be as buttoned up in a certain area on a particular day.”
We’re as strong as all seven players. Everyone’s touching the ball, moving and cutting.
Tim McCormack
Well, isn’t that the million-dollar question?
This was hardly a problem unique to Johns Hopkins last year, and to insinuate that it was would be disingenuous. But the frequency with which the Blue Jays found themselves in one-goal or overtime games exacerbated the dilemma McCormack now faces.
“Every time that happens, there could be a different piece that was missing,” McCormack said. “Maybe you weren’t winning draws and that led to a spiral. Maybe you miss a couple ground balls you probably should have gotten. From there, a hundred different things can happen. Momentum is tough to capture.”
In his eyes, it’s about preaching that every single day is the most important one. Effort and energy have to stay consistent no matter the venue, weather or opponent.
That said, last year provided invaluable experience. The Jays won four overtime games, all against notable programs (12-11 over Duke, 15-14 over Penn, 14-13 over Syracuse and 12-11 over Penn State).
They went 5-2 overall in one-goal games.
A one-woman wrecking crew last season, Mackin contributed 66 goals and 19 assists. She was also the go-to option in critical situations. She did all that in 14 games, as she missed six contests due to injury.
She leaves incredibly large shoes to fill, and McCormack anticipates a committee approach.
“Ashley Mackin’s a really unique player. She was excellent for us,” he said. “I will be honest with you, what we’re looking at from this team is that the production she brought will be dispersed between five or six others. I doubt there’s going to be one that bears that load.”
Mackin was far from a ball hog during her career, so it’s not as if any of those who step up will be averse to touching the ball. With the way the Hopkins offense operates, everyone gets a try. It just so happened that possessions often ended with Mackin delivering a score.
So, look for Ava Angello, Taylor Hoss, Lacey Downey, Sally Zinsner, Eleri Colon and Laurel Gonzalez to hear their numbers called more often.
“We are always building up the full unit,” McCormack said. “For us and the way we play, it’s never about a single individual. We’re as strong as all seven players. Everyone’s touching the ball, moving and cutting. There’s never a chance where we’re actively trying to get one individual the ball.”
Kenny DeJohn has been the Digital Content Editor at USA Lacrosse since 2019. First introduced to lacrosse in 2016 as a Newsday Sports reporter on Long Island (yes, ON Long Island), DeJohn specializes in women's game coverage. His search for New York quality pizza in Baltimore is ongoing.
