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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.
Most programs start with a 5-10-year plan that’s heavy on grace. Clemson’s 5-year plan was essentially “success in year one.” The Tigers showed promise in each of their first two seasons but missed the NCAA tournament both times.
That ended last season when Clemson not only made the NCAA tournament but beat Navy in the first round — and that was after advancing to the semifinals of the ACC tournament.
“Now it’s ingrained in them that much more than getting to the NCAA Tournament should be our goal every year,” head coach Allison Kwolek said. “When I was recruiting them, I said, ‘This isn’t going to be a slow build-up. We are going to compete, and we are going to compete right away.’ I was proud that within three years we were in the tournament, and to get that first round win was huge.”
Clemson’s initial rosters were built on transfers. This year’s biggest headliners are the incoming freshmen, who will be on campus for four years.
The class comes at the right time, as the Tigers lose about 86 percent of their scoring from last year’s team, and the starting goalie spot is up for grabs with Emily Lamparter’s graduation.
The only way this one gets answered is on the field. But Kwolek liked what she saw in the fall, particularly from Spallina, the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to Inside Lacrosse after an All-American career at Mount Sinai (N.Y.). She spent much of her time at X in the fall.
“She’s grown up quarterbacking offenses,” Kwolek said. “She’s obviously a talented feeder, but she can put the ball in the back of the net, too. It was clear that, when the ball was in her stick, good things were going to happen.”
Spallina also got to know the offensive cast around her in the fall, though she already had a built-in connection with longtime friend and club teammate Aubrie Eisfeld. Kwolek described their connection as “natural.”
Emma Penczek, who graduated from Manchester Valley (Md.) as Maryland’s all-time leader in points (487), will also factor into the offense. Kwolek sees her contributing on both ends of the field.
“She is just as good on the defensive end as she is on the offensive end and has great IQ,” Kwolek said.
And two-time South Carolina Player of the Year Teagan Scott could see significant time on defense.
All told, Kwolek expects that at least half the freshman class will see significant minutes this spring. In the fall, she was able to think long-term about the current roster for the first time.
“During scrimmages, I kept thinking, ‘OK, we will return a majority of this and have more consistency year after year,’” Kwolek said. “With all the players we lost last year — Lindsay [Marshall], Katie [Castiello] and Lexi [Edmonds] — they were offensive leaders. We’ve been talking about leadership on the offensive end and having a vocal presence. It’s geared toward younger players who are going to be on the field and need to find their voice and find it quickly.”
It was clear that, when the ball was in her stick, good things were going to happen.
Allison Kwolek on Alexa Spallina
Clemson didn’t completely abandon the portal, bringing in a pair of transfers expected to see significant playing time. The first is Maddigan Miller (15G, 7A, 37GB, 15CT), who comes over from Stanford as a fifth-year in the midfield, where she started 18 games. Kwolek particularly valued Miller’s steady leadership and consistency as a true middie in the fall, especially with a young team.
Mikaela Mooney arrives from UAlbany with two years of eligibility left. The Tigers caught a glimpse of her when they played the Great Danes last March. Mooney had two assists in the game, a 21-8 Clemson win. But Kwolek liked what she saw and remembered Mooney’s name when she entered the portal.
“She’s a left attacker with great stickwork,” Kwolek said. “She’s a savvy attacker, great finisher and shooter. She was an immediate impact for us when she came in.”
Freshman goalie Tessa DeLuca and sophomore Gigi Adamson are the candidates to fill the cleats of Lamparter, who produced a 9.67 goals-against average and 46.4-percent save rate.
DeLuca was Inside Lacrosse’s No. 2 goalie and helped Maryville (Md.) High School to a conference championship in 2025. She took a beat to settle in but was out of breath once she did.
“The last couple of weeks [of fall], she [was] unreal making stops,” Kwolek said.
The same can be said for Adamson, who got nearly 125 minutes of experience in 10 games as Lamparter’s primary backup last year.
“Gigi brings energy,” Kwolek added. “She’s a vocal goalie. Our defenders respond to her.”
Beth Ann Mayer is a Long Island-based writer. She joined USA Lacrosse in 2022 after freelancing for Inside Lacrosse for five years. She first began covering the game as a student at Syracuse. When she's not writing, you can find her wrangling her husband, two children and surplus of pets.
