University of Massachusets Athletics
Four from Women’s Lacrosse Earn IWLCA All-Region Honors
May 14, 2026 | Women's Lacrosse
AMHERST, Mass. – Following sensational 2026 seasons, four members of the UMass women's lacrosse team received IWLCA All-Northeast Region honors, as announced on Thursday. All received the recognition for the first time in their careers. Kassidy Morris was named to the first team, with Dylan Lyons, Bridget Valentine and Cate Marshall all earning second-team recognition.
The four honorees mark UMass' most since 2023 when the Minutewomen had six (three first team and three second team).
Earning first team All-Region Morris was named first team All-Conference for a third straight season, this season earning it in the MAC. She went on to win MAC Tournament MVP as well. Named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, she earned four MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Morris led the team in both goals and points, with 74 goals and 104 points, respectively. The 104 points set the school record, originally set by her last season. She also ranked second on the team with 30 assists. Morris stands fifth nationally in goals and seventh in points. Morris tallied a hat trick in 12 of the last 13 games, coinciding with the Minutewomen's 12-game winning streak, followed by NCAA Tournament game vs. Navy. Morris is a leader of an offense that stands second nationally in goals per game, 16.84, and first in assists and points per game. Morris is the program record holder for career goals (247) and stands second in points (322).
Named first team All-MAC, Lyons enjoyed a breakout season, standing second on UMass in goals (55) and points (79) to earn second team All-Region recognition. She finished third in the MAC in both goals and points. A MAC Offensive Player of the Week in March, Lyons got better and better as the season progressed. She had a streak of seven straight hat tricks and 12 consecutive multi-goal games. In the NCAA Tournament against Navy, Lyons had career highs in goals (5) and points (8) to earn UMass Student-Athlete of the Week, as the Minutewomen narrowly lost to sixth-seeded Navy, 17-16. Lyons also recorded identical stat lines of five goals and two assists both at LIU and Robert Morris.
Also a second team All-Region honoree was Valentine, a first team All-MAC performer and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. A two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week, Valentine leads the Minutewomen in caused turnovers (38) while she finished second only to goalkeeper Bayley Duffy in groundballs, tallying 45. Valentine's 38 caused turnovers are tied for third in program history. At Eastern Michigan, Valentine had four groundballs and a program-record tying seven caused turnovers. She is an anchor of a defense that is fourth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 7.47 goals per game. The Minutewomen allowed six goals or fewer in eight of the nine conference games (including postseason).
UMass' final second team All-Region honoree was Marshall, the MAC Freshman of the Year – UMass' first conference Freshman of the Year since 2011. Marshall was also named second team All-MAC. Marshall excelled as the Minutewomen's primary draw taker during her rookie campaign. Marshall finished with169 draw controls on the season, good for fifth in program history. Marshall's 8.89 per game led the MAC and are good for 13th nationally. The Minutewomen as a team stand sixth in the country in draw controls per game and third in draw control percentage. Marshall has nine games with double-figure draws, including five straight. At Detroit Mercy, she tallied a career-high 21 draws at Detroit Mercy, the most by a freshman in NCAA Division I since April of 2013.
The Minutewomen conclude their season at 16-3 with their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third in the last four years. UMass won the MAC regular season and tournament championships in its first year in the conference and advanced to a conference championship game for an 18th straight season. The Minutewomen entered Friday with the No. 2 scoring offense and No. 3 scoring defense in the nation, proving to be one of the nation's top teams on both sides of the ball.
The four honorees mark UMass' most since 2023 when the Minutewomen had six (three first team and three second team).
Earning first team All-Region Morris was named first team All-Conference for a third straight season, this season earning it in the MAC. She went on to win MAC Tournament MVP as well. Named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, she earned four MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Morris led the team in both goals and points, with 74 goals and 104 points, respectively. The 104 points set the school record, originally set by her last season. She also ranked second on the team with 30 assists. Morris stands fifth nationally in goals and seventh in points. Morris tallied a hat trick in 12 of the last 13 games, coinciding with the Minutewomen's 12-game winning streak, followed by NCAA Tournament game vs. Navy. Morris is a leader of an offense that stands second nationally in goals per game, 16.84, and first in assists and points per game. Morris is the program record holder for career goals (247) and stands second in points (322).
Named first team All-MAC, Lyons enjoyed a breakout season, standing second on UMass in goals (55) and points (79) to earn second team All-Region recognition. She finished third in the MAC in both goals and points. A MAC Offensive Player of the Week in March, Lyons got better and better as the season progressed. She had a streak of seven straight hat tricks and 12 consecutive multi-goal games. In the NCAA Tournament against Navy, Lyons had career highs in goals (5) and points (8) to earn UMass Student-Athlete of the Week, as the Minutewomen narrowly lost to sixth-seeded Navy, 17-16. Lyons also recorded identical stat lines of five goals and two assists both at LIU and Robert Morris.
Also a second team All-Region honoree was Valentine, a first team All-MAC performer and the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. A two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week, Valentine leads the Minutewomen in caused turnovers (38) while she finished second only to goalkeeper Bayley Duffy in groundballs, tallying 45. Valentine's 38 caused turnovers are tied for third in program history. At Eastern Michigan, Valentine had four groundballs and a program-record tying seven caused turnovers. She is an anchor of a defense that is fourth in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 7.47 goals per game. The Minutewomen allowed six goals or fewer in eight of the nine conference games (including postseason).
UMass' final second team All-Region honoree was Marshall, the MAC Freshman of the Year – UMass' first conference Freshman of the Year since 2011. Marshall was also named second team All-MAC. Marshall excelled as the Minutewomen's primary draw taker during her rookie campaign. Marshall finished with169 draw controls on the season, good for fifth in program history. Marshall's 8.89 per game led the MAC and are good for 13th nationally. The Minutewomen as a team stand sixth in the country in draw controls per game and third in draw control percentage. Marshall has nine games with double-figure draws, including five straight. At Detroit Mercy, she tallied a career-high 21 draws at Detroit Mercy, the most by a freshman in NCAA Division I since April of 2013.
The Minutewomen conclude their season at 16-3 with their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance and third in the last four years. UMass won the MAC regular season and tournament championships in its first year in the conference and advanced to a conference championship game for an 18th straight season. The Minutewomen entered Friday with the No. 2 scoring offense and No. 3 scoring defense in the nation, proving to be one of the nation's top teams on both sides of the ball.
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
M
/ Women's Lacrosse
A
/ Women's Lacrosse
D
/ Women's LacrosseMassachusetts Women's Lacrosse | 2026 MAC Championship Interviews
Saturday, May 02
Massachusetts Women's Lacrosse | 4.30.26 MAC Semifinal Recap vs. Robert Morris
Friday, May 01
UMass WLAX | Broadcast Highlights vs Columbia | 04.07.26
Monday, April 27
UMass WLAX vs. Kent State
Saturday, April 25