NEW HAVEN, Conn. - - For the first time in Wilmington University athletics' NCAA era, a student-athlete has been named a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Player of the Year three times, as standout Ella Royer highlights a team of seven Wildcats named All-Conference on Wednesday, as announced by the conference office.
In a vote of the league's head coaches, Royer earned the CACC Player of the Year title for the third year in a row, while also being named a First Team All-CACC midfielder. The Wildcats placed six others on the All-CACC Second Team, as Ashleigh Lawry, Tristan Holdsworth, Alea Javorowsky, Kirra Crowley, Leah Rycroft, and Caitlyn Welker all earned postseason accolades.
Ella Royer (Sherwood Park, Alberta) is now a four-time First Team All-CACC honoree and joins Georgian Court's Samantha Fernandez as the only other three-time CACC Player of the Year in CACC women's lacrosse history. The NCAA Division II all-time goals leader once again leads the CACC with 83 goals and 105 points this season. She is fourth in the country in goal and fifth overall in points. Royer also leads the team with 80 draw controls this year, second with 22 caused turnovers, and third overall with 24 ground balls. She had a season high 10 points against D'Youville with seven goals and three assists along with a season high eight goals three different times. She had a season high 11 draws at Chestnut Hill as well.
For the third time in her career, Alea Javorowsky (Macedon, N.Y.) has been voted All-CACC, adding her second Second Team accolade after a First Team nod last year. She currently leads all of NCAA Division II with 83 assists this year and is sixth overall with 104 points. The WilmU and CACC all-time assists leader has a season high 10 points three times this year, with a season high nine assists twice. Her 262 career assists are now second most all-time in NCAA Division II history.
Tristan Holdsworth (Hamilton, Ontario) is a Second Team All-CACC performer for the second straight year. She is third on the team with 81 points this year, ranking sixth in the CACC with 4.50 points per game. She has 34 goals this year with a career high 47 assists. She has a season high nine points twice this year, scoring four goals with five assists against D'Youville and against Post.
Kirra Crowley (Carlisle, Pa.) made an impact in her first season as a Wildcat, earning Second Team honors in the midfield. She is second on the team with 57 goals, ranking 5th in the CACC with 3.17 goals per game. She has added 19 assists for 76 points, as well as 61 draws, 26 ground balls, and 18 caused turnovers. She had a season high seven points in her first game as a Wildcat, scoring four goals with three assists against Molloy. Crowley's had a season high five goals three times so far.
Another junior transfer, Leah Rycroft (Sherwood Park, Alberta) joined the Wildcats this year and has been an immediate impact as well. She is third on the team with 50 goals this year, ranking eighth in the CACC with 2.78 goals per game. She is also seventh in the CACC with 3.61 draws per game, sitting second on the team with 65 draws. She leads the team with 24 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls as well. She had a season high seven points against Post and a season high 10 draws at Holy Family.
Caitlyn Welker (Bel Air, Md.) represents the third best scoring defense in NCAA Division II as a Second Team All-CACC honoree. Welker and the defense only allows 6.00 goals per game. She is fourth on the team, and the top main defensive player, with 17 caused turnovers this year, adding 24 ground balls. She had three caused turnovers and four ground balls against Jefferson.
Ashleigh Lawry (Rigdely, Md.) has stopped nearly everything that has snuck past Welker and the defense this year, earning her first All-CACC nod as well. She and teammate Allison Schiavone have the Wildcats as the top ranked backstop in NCAA Division II with a team 0.603 save percentage, as well as the third ranked scoring defense in only allowing 6.00 goals a game. She is 9-1 on the year with 80 saved and a .602 save percentage, only allowing 53 goals for a 5.89 goals against average. She's made a season high eight saves three times this year.
Bridgeport's Payton Noack was voted the CACC Rookie of the Year while Dominican's Jenna Rigo repeated as the CACC Defensive Player of the Year. Jefferson's Kalyn Ammerlaan repeats as the CACC Goalkeeper of the Year by virtue of being the First Team All-CACC netminder while Chestnut Hill's Liz Martin was voted the Athletic Solution Coach of the Year. Caldwell rounds out the Major Award winners by earning the Team Sportsmanship Award.
The Wildcats are headed to the CACC Tournament Semifinal on Thursday, traveling to Philadelphia to take on Jefferson. The Wildcats host the CACC Tournament Championship on Saturday, May 2, at the WU Athletics Complex. Thursday's opening draw is set for 3:30 p.m.
2026 CACC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams
First Team:
GK – Kalyn Ammerlaan (Thomas Jefferson University)
A – Meaghan Avanzato (Thomas Jefferson University)
A – Madelyn Grella (Dominican University)
A – Madison Mileti (Dominican University)
A – Payton Noack (University of Bridgeport)
A – Alexa Preston (Dominican University)
M – Tara Dimaio (University of Bridgeport)
M & DRAW – Iris Gluck (Thomas Jefferson University)
M – Nena Menard (Georgian Court University)
M – Caitlin Petrellese (Georgian Court University)
M – Ella Royer (Wilmington University)
D – Audrey Cashin (Thomas Jefferson University)
D – Jenna Rigo (Dominican University)
D – Addison Rivera (Georgian Court University)
D – Ava Sztenderowicz (Thomas Jefferson University)
Second Team
GK – Daniela Parisi (Dominican University)
GK – Ashleigh Lawry (Wilmington University)
DRAW – Payton Noack (University of Bridgeport)
DRAW – Caitlin Petrellese (Georgian Court University)
A – Gabrielle Battle (Georgian Court University)
A – Tristan Holdsworth (Wilmington University)
A – Alea Javorowsky (Wilmington University)
A – Lilly Lutz (Thomas Jefferson University)
M – Dani Cox (Dominican University)
M – Kirra Crowley (Wilmington University)
M – Reagan Rogers (Thomas Jefferson University)
M – Leah Rycroft (Wilmington University)
D – Caryss Kehl (Post University)
D – Payton LaVallee (Dominican University)
D – Kaley Maxwell (University of Bridgeport)
D – Caitlyn Welker (Wilmington University)
2026 CACC Player of the Year: Ella Royer (Wilmington University)
2026 CACC Rookie of the Year: Payton Noack (University of Bridgeport)
2026 CACC Defensive Player of the Year: Jenna Rigo (Dominican University)
2026 CACC Goalkeeper of the Year: Kalyn Ammerlaan (Thomas Jefferson University)
2026 Athletic Solutions Coach of the Year: Liz Martin (Chestnut Hill College)
2026 CACC Team Sportsmanship Award: Caldwell University