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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.
For the first time since 2021, James Madison enters the season without an All-American attacker. Coach Shelley Klaes said she’s looking forward to the team’s “by committee” approach.
The Dukes lost their star attacker and draw specialist, Maddie Epke, to Northwestern. Epke entered the transfer portal after James Madison fell 17-10 to Duke in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Dukes lost 45 percent of their offensive production with Epke (53G, 23A) transferring and Savannah Derey (54G, 6A) graduating — and an additional 11 percent with the rest of their graduates.
Still, even after a difficult offseason, the Dukes will be the favorite to win the American Conference.
Let’s break it down.
The Dukes had an immediate succession plan with Epke when their all-time leading goal scorer, Isabella Peterson, graduated in 2024 — but Klaes doesn’t seem rushed to find an immediate replacement.
Entering her 20th season as the Dukes’ head coach, Klaes knows that type of talent doesn’t come around often, but she’s confident in her ability to develop it. Sophomore attackers Olivia Matthews and Payton Root will be at the helm of that development. Matthews is a twitchy dodger who accumulated 44 points as a starter last season and was, at times, the Dukes’ most reliable option behind the net. Her athleticism provides her with a high ceiling, and she’s also not shy during big moments, as she scored an overtime game-winner during the Dukes’ regular-season finale.
Root is a crafty distributor who came on strong as a freshman despite playing just 15 games. She connected on a team-high 29 assists last year on top of scoring 11 goals, with a few of those in a behind-the-back fashion.
Even though the Dukes are young, Klaes feels their offense is deeper across the board this season. She said senior captain Brianna Mennella has stepped into a “point guard role” as James Madison’s most experienced scorer.
Mennella has 67 career points and scored 25 goals on 50-percent shooting efficiency last season. Both were career highs.
Epke’s departure is a two-part loss for the Dukes. Not only did they lose their top scorer, but they lost their all-time leader in draw controls (485). Epke also finished second in Division I with 235 draw control wins last season and was just two shy of leading the nation.
“Great programs have options waiting in the wings,” Klaes said.
And that’s precisely what she believes the Dukes have with sophomore attacker Harlowe Healey. Klaes added that Healey was a “huge” part of James Madison’s success during the fall season, which included scrimmages against Virginia, Denver and Duke.
Healey was used sparingly last season, winning eight draws in 10 games, but Klaes is confident about her abilities in the circle.
“People assume a huge gap in that area with the loss,” Klaes said. “Harlowe worked so hard last year as a freshman, learned a lot and really came in with some intensity and that hunger when a dominant player leaves.”
Matthews and sophomore defender Reese Cuviello are two athletic and gritty players who will line up outside the circle. Both were credited with a combined 75 draw controls last season as freshmen and will provide support for Healey in her first season as the assumed starter.
Great programs have options waiting in the wings.
Shelly Klaes
James Madison graduated one-year starting goalie Adayna Moyer, who stopped 47 percent of her shots faced last season. To make matters worse for the Dukes, senior Caitlin Boden transferred to Maryland after losing her starting spot to Moyer.
Boden started as an underclassman but had an up-and-down career with James Madison. One of those down moments included a benching during the second half of the Dukes’ NCAA tournament matchup against Penn State in 2024. After Boden allowed nine goals in 34 minutes, Klaes replaced her with, at the time, freshman Emily Evans, who made five saves en route to a win.
Evans only played four minutes last season, but her NCAA tournament experience could pay dividends in a goalie battle. Klaes mentioned Evans’ competitive hometown experience, who hails from Onondaga County in New York, as a potential factor.
Sophomore Abigail Beattie is the only other goalie on the roster and played 28 minutes last year, making three saves. Beattie also helped the Philippines national team earn a bronze medal in the Asia-Pacific Women's Lacrosse Championship last January. Klaes said she values her international experience but that Beattie needs to “rein in” her footwork.
Both goalies have been used as starters and come off the bench during the fall season, and both could factor into a rotation. Klaes also brought in a couple of goalies from the JMU club men's lacrosse team to help support their development.
“When it comes to leading the gate against UNC, it could absolutely be a divide and conquer,” she said.
Hayden Hundley has been involved with lacrosse since he was 6 years old and was brought on as Editorial Intern at USA Lacrosse in May 2025. He has covered Virginia men’s lacrosse with Streaking the Lawn, scouted DMV talent with Prep Lacrosse and was formerly the Sports Editor for James Madison’s student newspaper "The Breeze."
