WIAC Preview

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse lacrosse team opens its 2025 season Saturday, February 22 at Northern Michigan University. The Eagles return 17 letter winners from last year's squad, which finished 12-6 overall.
 
UWL starts his sixth season as a varsity sport in 2025. The Eagles' 12 victories a year ago tied the single-season school record set in 2023. UWL finished 4-2 in the inaugural standings in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) last year while advancing to the conference tournament championship game. 

 
Nick Anagnostis starts his first season as head coach at UWL in 2025 after serving as a volunteer assistant women's lacrosse coach at Winthrop University (S.C.) last season. He was the goalkeeper coach and defensive assistant.
 
Prior coaching experience includes serving as men's lacrosse head coach at Wheeling University (W.V.) from 2019-22 and men's lacrosse club coach at the University of Missouri from 2016-19. He was named the 2019 Upper Midwest Lacrosse Conference (UMLC) Coach of the Year while at Missouri. Anagnostis' Tiger teams produced 25 all-conference selections.
 
UWL returns six All-WIAC selections from 2024, including senior defender Kaley Hendrick and junior midfielder Ava Schiltz who both earned first team accolades.
 

Starting all 17 games she played in 2024, Hendrick scored a pair of goals last season while helping UWL's defense allow 10.6 goals per game and .421 free position shot percentage.
 
Schiltz started all 18 games a year ago, leading the Eagles in goals (64), points (74), shots (115), shots on goal (96), man-up goals (9) and free position goals (20). She scored a goal in 17 contests, including a season-high six in four different games. Schiltz was third in the WIAC in goals per game, fourth in points and shots.
 
Senior attacker Megan Feeney was a 2024 All-WIAC Second Team selection while junior defender Anna Jenson, junior attacker Megan Maloney and junior attacker/defender Lydia Spencer were named to the honorable mention team.
 
A starter in 17 games, Feeney was second for UWL in goals (49), points (54) and shots on goal (60) last season. Registering a goal in 14 games, Feeney was fifth in the WIAC in goals per game.
 
Jenson started 17 games, finishing with 24 ground balls. She was also named to the 2024 All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team.
 
Appearing in all 18 games with 17 starts in 2024, Maloney finished second for UWL in assists (18) and free position goals (7) while being tied for third in points (53). She recorded at least one point in all 18 games.
 
Spencer started all 18 contests, finishing third for the Eagles in ground balls (34) with a single-game season-high of seven. 
 
UWL's 2025 roster includes two seniors, seven juniors, nine sophomores and six freshmen.   

 
The WIAC starts its second season of competition this year with 10 teams, including conference members UWL, UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Stout. Affiliate members from last year include Colorado College and Southwestern University (Texas). 
 
Three new affiliate members, Augsburg University (Minn.), College of Saint Benedict (Minn.) and Hamline University (Minn.) join the WIAC in 2025. All three institutions previously were members of the Midwest Lacrosse Conference.
 
Colorado College won the inaugural WIAC regular season and tournament titles a year ago while making the program's 13th appearance in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships.

The nine-game WIAC schedule begins on Sunday, March 9. The top-four teams in the standings will secure a spot in the WIAC Tournament (presented by Culver's) to be conducted May 2-3 at the highest Wisconsin seed.

UWL's schedule includes seven home games at Veterans Memorial Field Sports Complex, including the opener versus Carthage College (Wis.) on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m.