BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Defending champion Navy claimed the top spot in the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll and collected one of four preseason major awards when the League office announced preseason accolades Thursday. Army West Point garnered three major awards.
 
Head coach Cindy Timchal and the Mids received 80 points and eight first-place votes to rank atop the preseason poll after winning the program’s seventh League crown last season. . Loyola Maryland, the 2025 regular-season champions, received 71 points and one first-place vote. They enter the 2026 season on a 93-game regular-season League-winning streak.
 
Army West Point placed third in the preseason poll with 68 points and one first-place vote. Holy Cross (51), Colgate (48) and Boston University (41) ranked fourth through sixth, with Lehigh (35), Bucknell (23), American (15) and Lafayette (13) rounding out the 10-team preseason poll.  
 
Navy placed a League-high five student-athletes on the 18-member Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Team, including junior Jaclyn Johns, who was voted the Patriot League Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Army had four student-athletes recognized, including three of the four major awards, with senior Allison Reilly being named Patriot League Preseason Attacker of the Year, senior Brigid Duffy earning Patriot League Preseason Midfielder of the Year and senior Lindsey Serafine claiming Patriot League Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
Loyola Maryland had three Preseason All-Patriot League selections, Colgate had two and Bucknell, Boston University, Holy Cross and Lehigh each had one representative on the squad.
 
Voting for the Patriot League women’s lacrosse preseason poll, major awards and All-Patriot League team was conducted by League head coaches. The group was not permitted to vote for its own team or student-athletes.
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Attacker of the Year
Allison Reilly, Army West Point, Sr. Attacker, Sayville, N.Y./Sayville
2025 Statistics: 17 games, 60 G, 42 A, 102 P, .414 SH%, .745 SOG%, 18 GB, 10 CT, 27 DC
*Reilly is a two-time First Team All-Patriot League attacker and a two-time USA Lacrosse All-America honorable mention.
*She ranked fourth in NCAA DI with 6.0 points per game, setting an Army West Point program record with 102 points on 60 goals and 42 assists.
*The six-time Patriot League Attacker of the Week was one of two players in the nation with more than 50 goals and 35 assists, and ranked in the NCAA DI top 20 in goals per game (3.53) and assists per game (2.47).
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Midfielder of the Year
Brigid Duffy, Army West Point, Sr., Midfielder, Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury
2025 Statistics: 17 games, 64 G, 22 A, 86 P, .444 SH%, .653 SOG%, 47 GB, 32 CT, 94 DC
*Duffy is a three-time First Team All-Patriot League selection and a three-time All-America honoree by ILWomen and USA Lacrosse, earning first-team accolades from USA Lacrosse last season.
*The USA Women’s National Team selection ranked 12th in NCAA DI with 3.76 goals per game and 16th with 5.06 points per game. She enters her senior season 19th in League history with 182 career goals and 17th with 262 points.
*She also ranked 23rd in ground balls (2.76) and 30th in draw controls (1.82) to become a Tewaaraton Award Top-25 Finalist in 2025.
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Jaclyn Johns, Navy, Jr., Defender, Marietta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic
2025 Statistics: 21 games, 22 GB, 21 CT
*Johns started all 21 games for a Navy defense that allowed a League-low 9.9 goals per game for the 19th best scoring defense in NCAA DI.
*She picked up 22 ground balls and caused 21 turnovers during her sophomore season. She had at least one ground ball in 14 games, with seven multi-ground ball contests.
*The Marietta, Ga. native had 15 games with a caused turnover, including five multi-cause-turnovers, with a season-high three against Bucknell.
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Lindsey Serafine, Army West Point, Sr., Goalkeeper, Tabernacle, N.J./Our Lady of Mercy Academy
2025 Statistics: 17 games, 943:35 minutes, 10.36 GAA, 129 saves, .442 SV%, 13 W, 4 L
*Serafine earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors last season, recording a Black Knights’ single-season goalkeeper record with 13 wins.
*The three-time Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week posted a .442 save percentage and 10.36 goals-against average (GAA).
*In nine League games, she posted a .462 save percentage with 72 saves, the top mark among returning goalkeepers. She also registered a 10.49 GAA in League play.
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
1. Navy, 80 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Loyola Maryland, 71 (1)
3. Army West Point, 68 (1)
4. Holy Cross, 51
5. Colgate, 48
6. Boston University, 41
7. Lehigh, 35
8. Bucknell, 23
9. American, 15
10. Lafayette, 13
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Major Awards
Preseason Attacker of the Year – Allison Reilly, Army West Point, Sr.
Preseason Midfielder of the Year – Brigid Duffy, Army West Point, Sr.
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Jaclyn Johns, Navy, Jr.
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year – Lindsey Serafine, Army West Point, Sr.
 
2026 Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Patriot League Team*
Sarah Chernik, Army West Point, Sr., D
Brigid Duffy, Army West Point, Sr., M
Allison Reilly, Army West Point, Sr., A
Lindsey Serafine, Army West Point, Sr., GK
Tessa Geddes, Boston University, Jr., M
Jess Leon, Bucknell, Sr., D
Aubrey McMahon, Colgate, So., A
Caroline Panzirer, Colgate, Sr. A
Racheli Levy-Smith, Holy Cross, Sr., D
Molly Snow, Lehigh, Jr., A
Elisa Faklaris, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Cydney Lisk, Loyola Maryland, Sr., D
Mim Suares-Jury, Loyola Maryland, So., M
Alyssa Chung, Navy, So., A
Jaclyn Johns, Navy, Jr., D
Emma Kennedy, Navy, Sr., A
Mikayla Williams, Navy, Jr., M
Ava Yovino, Navy, Sr., M
 *Additional student-athletes selected due to ties in the voting
 
2026 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Team by the Numbers
Fifteen of the 18 preseason team selections were selected to one of the two 2025 All-Patriot League squads, including seven first-team honorees. Navy sophomore attack Alyssa Chung was the 2025 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
 
Army West Point’s Duffy and Reilly, and Navy’s Chung highlight the 2025 All-Patriot League First Team selections. Navy junior midfielder Mikayla Williams, the 2025 Patriot League Championship MVP, Holy Cross senior defender Racheli Levy-Smith, Lehigh junior attack Molly Snow and Loyola Maryland senior midfielder Elisa Faklaris were all first-team honorees last season.
 
Eight more student-athletes earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors last season, including Army’s Serafine. Black Knights’ senior defender Sarah Chernik, Boston University junior midfielder Tessa Geddes, Bucknell senior defender Jess Leon, Colgate attackers Aubrey McMahon and Caroline Panzirer, Loyola Maryland sophomore midfielder Mim Suares-Jury and Navy senior midfielder Ava Yovino all made the second team.
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.