WEST HARTFORD, CONN. - The Hartford Women's Lacrosse team looks to build off a historic 2025 campaign as the Hawks turn the page to the 2026 season. After finishing 13-6 overall and advancing to the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship game for the first time in program history, Hartford enters the new year with elevated expectations and strong returning core ready to take the next step

A New Look:
After graduating two seniors from last year's championship-contending squad, Hartford welcomes three newcomers to the program, three freshmen, along with a whole new coaching staff.

Head Coach:
Jen Fallon

Assistant Coach: 
Nicole Belanger

Volunteer Assistant Coach:
Ashley Ferrandiz

Attack (1):
Olivia Shepherd (Missoula, Mont.)

Midfield (1):
Madelin Aiello (Whitesboro, N.Y.)

Defense (1):
Kyra Benard (Agawam, Mass.)

The Hawks begin a new chapter on the sidelines as Jen Fallon takes over the program heading into the 2026 season. Fallon brings nearly two decades of head coaching experience and looks to guide Hartford back to the top of the Conference of New England (CNE) standings

"As a staff, we're really excited about the progress this group continues to make," said Head Coach Jen Fallon. "I've been impressed by their willingness to buy in, to respond to coaching and to trust the process. Last season set a strong foundation for us, and while we know we have some statistical gaps to fill offensively, our returning players are excited about the opportunity to expand their roles."

Fallon continues to detail her experience at University of Hartford thus far and her goals for this season, "Our focus this preseason has been on daily improvement, building cohesion, and embracing a shared responsibility in doing the small things that lead to winning. We know competing at the top of the conference will be a challenge, and that's exactly where we want to be. Our goal is to position ourselves to earn the opportunity to return to the league championship."

Fallon also brings along assistant coach Nicole Belanger who shared her time on the sideline with Fallon for six seasons at the University of New Haven. During that time the team appeared in four NCAA tournaments and six consecutive NE10 tournaments. In 2024, Belanger was named the IWLCA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year. 

Familiar Faces:
The Hawks return a strong veteran presence into 2026, highlighted by the three senior captains senior Courtney Ingham (Bedford, N.H.), senior Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.), and senior Samantha Ciaglo (Colchester, Conn.). Ingham played in 18 games in the 2025 season, starting in six, she scored eight goals and tallied 14 assists speaking to her contributions to the success of the Hartford team last season. Costa was a pivotal player in the previous season appearing in all 19 games, scoring 12 goals and three assists, she will be a key returner for the Hawks and a necessary leader. Ciaglo returns and will continue to anchor the defensive unit after playing a pivotal role in Hartford's run to the CNE Championship game. Ciaglo appeared in all 19 games in the 2025 season, recorded 21 caused turnovers and 44 ground balls; she was named CNE All-Conference Second Team for her success last year. Along with these strong seniors the senior Kelly Hoxie (Nassau, N.Y.) returns after playing in 12 of the Hawks games recording nine goals and being a key asset for Hartford.

When Costa was asked about what she is looking forward to this new season she had this to say, "This 2026 season our culture we want to build is to never give up, I think we showed that alot last season but we just need to finish it this year so we can come out of it with the championship. Last season motivated all of us a lot because we made it so far and we were so close to the championship, so I think we are going to use that to put some fire under us and do better this year."

Ciaglo shared similar aspirations to teammate Costa and said, "One of our goals as a team is to do better than we did last year, have a better record, and to hopefully make it to the championships for the CNE and then possibly the NCAAs."

Ingham was asked about the new coaching staff and how this year might look a bit different, "Jen is great, I love her she has a very high lacrosse IQ that she brings to the table for us, she's very motivating and she knows exactly what each and every player needs, and is not afraid to tell us that. I think that really helps us as a team and everybody is getting better on what they need to improve on."

Ingham continued to say, "I think there's been a lot of ups and downs especially for this women's lacrosse team, but I think now with the help of Jen and Nicole I think the sky is the limit. I think we are going to create a really strong program and I am excited to be a part of it as a leader and to see where the program goes."

Also returning for the Hawks is junior Mandi Rivard (Vernon, Conn.) who played in all 19 games her sophomore year. She posted a 13.11 goals against average with 137 saves and a .399 save percentage. 

Offensively, sophomore Kate Zonin (North Smithfield, R.I.), junior Katie Graham (Colchester, Conn.), and junior Talei Ricketson (Centennial, Colo.) return and headline a group that helped power Hartford to 13 wins last season. Also, junior Lauren Samela (Cheshire, Conn.), sophomore Emiley Bussiere (Agawam, Mass.), and junior Laurel McIntosh (West Kingston, R.I.) make their return to bolster the midfield and defensive units as the Hawks look to continue their balanced style of play.

With much of the roster intact from last season's championship appearance, Hartford enters 2026 with both experience and chemistry on its side.

Looking Ahead:
The Hawks will start their season on Saturday, February 28th as they compete against Vassar College with a start time of 12:00 P.M. The Hawks look to collect their first win over the Brewers as they fell short in their season premiere last year. The Hawks continue on the road to face Smith College, then Western Connecticut State, Wellesley College, and Keene State. All road games to kick off their first weeks of the season before returning to West Hartford for their home opener against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Tuesday, March 17th. This game also represents the first CNE match-up of the season.

After reaching the conference championship game just a season ago, Hartford will look to turn experience into hardware as they pursue a CNE title in 2026.

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