Women's Lacrosse Ushers in New Era in 2020

LEWISBURG, Pa. – First-year head coach Jackie Dando is excited to be at the helm of the Bucknell women's lacrosse program.

"I'm really excited to be here," Dando said. "I've seen a lot of great things in my first weeks working with the team. This program has a great foundation, which comes from the attitude and buy-in of the current team. They want to learn and get better. If we have that mindset, we can really improve and have a great season."

Dando left quite the legacy at Lebanon Valley College. She took over the women's lacrosse program in 2013, just three years after it was reinstated as a varsity sport, and led it to an 82-49 overall record and a 41-14 conference ledger. Lebanon Valley qualified for the MAC Commonwealth Conference in each of her seven seasons as head coach, culminating with the program's first league championship and NCAA Division III tournament berth in 2019.

"I was in a great position to take the program to the next level," Dando said. "The process of building the program to conference contenders and then NCAA contenders was so fulfilling for me, the players and the alumni. I hope to have that same process here at Bucknell. I know it's going to take time, but I believe the potential here is really strong. It starts with developing the current team, recruiting for the future and connecting with alumni."

Dando said that developing the 2020 team will start with its challenging non-conference schedule. The Bison will play six of their eight non-conference games on the road, including the final four going into Patriot League play.

"We're really excited to start playing games," Dando said. "That's how you learn. It's going to be a challenge, but it's also exciting. I can't wait to see our strategies being executed in games. We're going to be competitive in the non-conference games, and that will help us learn how to win. We'll take the lessons from the first games and translate them into conference play."

Bucknell brought in 13 newcomers ahead of the 2020 campaign; the Bison now have a roster of 43, nine more than they carried a year ago. Dando said that the influx of young talent has been beneficial to the team's culture.

"Every single person brings something to the team," Dando said. "Our first years have meshed really well with the rest of the team. Now, it's not just one or two people fighting for a starting spot, it's five people fighting for a starting spot. That's pushed every single person to get better. The internal competition is healthy and really fun to see. This team is a strong unit, and our goal this year is to close the gap. We want to be competitive in and out of the Patriot League. We want to win close games. We want to lay the foundation for next year and beyond."

Attack
Returnees: Eve Calabria, Lillie Hunt, Laurel McHale, Sarah Monteleone, Tegan Warren, Kali Peeples, Caroline Walsh, Katie Wendell
Newcomers: Anna Huntley-Robertson, Olivia Shields, Emily Sullivan, Jamie Tsao

Dando's offensive philosophy can be boiled down to two words: play smart. She wants the Bison to be aggressive and intense, but she is tasking them with taking care of the ball and looking for high-percentage shots first and foremost.

"This year, I want us to focus on playing smart," Dando said. "That intensity will still be there, but we have to play smart. We have to be strategic and value the ball. We have to use our shot clock and limit our turnovers. With how competitive the Patriot League is, you have to execute your game plan when you cross over the 30."

Dando said that she's excited to have two strong distributors in senior Lillie Hunt and junior Eve Calabria. The duo accounted for nearly 50 percent of the team's assists in 2019; notably, Calabria has totaled 34 assists in just two seasons, which is a figure eight shy of cracking Bucknell's top-10 list.

"Our feeders are our strengths," Dando said. "Lillie and Eve are really strong on the crease and have some great experience there."

Dando highlighted Tegan Warren and junior Kali Peeples as attackers to watch. In 2019, Warren enjoyed a breakout year, finishing second among Bison in points (30) and goals (19). Peeples, who led the team in draw controls and chipped in 14 goals a year ago, is expected to take on an expanded role.

"Tegan is a really strong and versatile lefty attacker," Dando said. "Kali did a great job on draws last year and will take on more responsibility on the attacking end."

Because Dando's attack will be run by its attackers, the leadership of players like Hunt, Warren, Calabria and Peeples will be critical.

"We're going to rely on our attackers to run the attack, not the midfielders," Dando said. "We have seniors and juniors who are ready to do that. We're excited to see what they can do."

Dando also highlighted Anna Huntley-Robertson and Jamie Tsao as first years who have stood out so far.

Midfield
Returnees: Maggie Ashley, Julia Bradbury, Emma Cashwell, Sarah Dohler, Kate Fiore, Sophia Klaber, Amy Roche, Mason Rode, Morgan Steinhacker, Tace Sutherland
Newcomers: Ally Ducas, Caroline Miller, Leah Rutland, Olivia Zaban

Bucknell has plenty of depth and talent at midfield, highlighted by a quartet of battle-tested seniors in Morgan Steinhacker, Tace Sutherland, Sophia Klaber and Kate Fiore.

"We have very strong, fast, tall and athletic midfielders," Dando said. "That's a strength of our program right now. We have two solid lines already, and they'll be leaders on our team. They're important to our transition and draw control. Because we have so much depth, we can keep them fresh and going at game speed when they're in."

Steinhacker and junior Julia Bradbury are likely threats to chip in offensively. Steinhacker, a proven goal scorer, led the Bison with 24 goals in 2019 and finished second with 18 in 2018; Bradbury enjoyed a strong sophomore year in 2019, finishing third on the team with 19 goals.

Dando said that, while the attack will run the attack, the midfielders will still play a valuable role on offense.

"Our middies are already strong up top as dodgers," Dando said. "We're working on them going straight to the goal, going north to south on their dodges. We want them to be confident to dodge from the top."

Two first years who have impressed Dando so far are Leah Rutland and Olivia Zaban.

Defense
Returnees: Jessie Britton, Avani Chopra, Annie Echeverria, Sophia Klaber, Eva Macris, Shelly Melville, Lydia Morgantini, Meredith Murphy, Abby Neff, Macie Ruda, Gabby Walsh
Newcomers: Bridget Cawley, Caitlin McHale, Ella Payer, Lauren Rader

On defense, Dando is looking for the Bison to play with aggression.

"We want to be more aggressive," Dando said. "We're working on closing space in our 1v1 defense. We're working on getting into their hands, not allowing the attack to dictate their movements and motions. Our defense is going to be a lot more communicative. Right now, we're looking to get our 1v1 defense down. Then, we'll add different schemes."

While Bucknell lost 2019 All-Patriot League honoree Callie DeWitt to graduation, everyone else is back from a year ago. Dando highlighted senior Jessie Britton, who has started all 33 games over the past two seasons, as the backbone of the Bison's defense.

"Jessie brings a ton of leadership and veteran experience to the defensive end," Dando said. "She's going to make a big impact because she's so smart with the ball and can read plays so well. She wins battles and makes the right decisions."

Dando also highlighted junior Gabby Walsh, sophomores Abby Neff and Eva Macris and first-year Ella Payer as players who will make an impact on the defensive end. Walsh has impressed due to her athleticism while Neff and Macris are coming off strong debut seasons in 2019, with Neff notably starting 16 of Bucknell's 17 games.

Goalie
Returnees: Lauren Kinnee, Caitlin Tucker
Newcomers: Symone Ryans

For four years, the Bison could count of Jamisen DeWitt to come up with big saves in net. A 2018 All-Patriot League selection, she graduated as the school record holder in career ground balls (166) and slotted sixth in career saves (586). Unfailingly calm, cool and collected, she played bigger than her 5-foot-3 frame and raised the bar for the program due to her relentless work ethic.

While Dando didn't personally coach DeWitt, she acknowledged her loss will be felt in 2020.

"From what I've been told, Jamie was a stud," Dando said. "The team could always count on her. She was a huge leader for four years. We're definitely going to miss her, but the other goalies we have are stepping up."

Junior Lauren Kinnee and sophomore Caitlin Tucker are currently in the mix to start. Dando has been impressed with both, noting that she's "excited to see them battle for the top spot."

Dando said of Kinnee: "She's very athletic, and that's a great thing in a goalie. She's in Army ROTC so she's extremely fit. She does a great job of leading selflessly. She has a ton of potential, and she can make the big plays."

Dando said of Tucker: "She's been an absolute pleasure to work with. She works really, really hard. She has unbelievably fast hands and makes phenomenal saves all day long."

First-year Symone Ryans will provide depth in net and push Kinnee and Tucker to continued improvement while transitioning to the collegiate level.

Draw Specialist
Returnees: Julia Bradbury, Jessie Britton, Emma Cashwell, Kate Fiore, Laurel McHale, Kali Peeples, Morgan Steinhacker
Newcomers: Ally Ducas, Caitlin McHale

As they do at midfield, Bucknell has plenty of players who can contribute as draw specialists. In Steinhacker and Peeples, the Bison return their top draw specialists from the past two seasons.

Steinhacker's 47 draw controls in 2018 was one shy of cracking Bucknell's single-season top-10 list; the following campaign, Peeples logged 42 to pace the Bison. Notably, Steinhacker enters her senior year with 96 career draw controls, a figure already good for 10th in program history.

Beyond Steinhacker and Peeples, Dando highlighted Bradbury and first-year Ally Ducas as draw specialists to watch; she also noted that they'll have plenty of different looks over the course of season.

"We have a great mix of draw specialists," Dando said. "There's definitely versatility there, and we'll have some different looks because of that. We need to have some go-to players, and we have some strong ones to start in Morgan and Kali."

Players Mentioned

Maggie Ashley

Julia Bradbury

Jessie Britton

Eve Calabria

Emma Cashwell

Bridget Cawley

Avani Chopra

Callie DeWitt

Jamisen DeWitt

Sarah Dohler

Ally Ducas

Annie Echeverria

Kate Fiore

Lillie Hunt

Anna Huntley-Robertson

Lauren Kinnee

Sophia Klaber

Eva Macris

Caitlin McHale

Laurel McHale

Michelle Melville

Caroline Miller

Sarah Monteleone

Lydia Morgantini

Meredith Murphy

Abby Neff

Ella Payer

Kali Peeples

Lauren Rader

Amy Roche

Mason Rode

Macie Ruda

Leah Rutland

Symone Ryans

Olivia Shields

Morgan Steinhacker

Emily Sullivan

Tace Sutherland

Jamie Tsao

Caitlin Tucker

Caroline Walsh

Gabby Walsh

Tegan Warren

Katie Wendell

Olivia Zaban

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