Drexel’s Cuocco Makes History; Hofstra, Stony Brook Highlight 2025 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Postseason Awards
Dylan Smith
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
RICHMOND, Va. – Drexel, Hofstra and Stony Brook captured major hardware in the 2025 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Postseason Awards, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The Dragons’
Jenika Cuocco etched her name in the CAA history book as the first player to capture three consecutive major awards, nabbing Goalkeeper of the Year honors once again. Hofstra’s
Nikki Mennella (Attacker of the Year) and
Kayleigh Bender (Rookie of the Year) garner major accolades, while
Isabella Caporuscio (Midfielder of the Year), Avery Hines (Defensive Player of the Year) and Head Coach
Joe Spallina (Coach of the Year) secured three CAA top honors for the Seawolves.
Adding her Rookie of the Year honors from 2023, Drexel’s Cuocco also became the only player in league history to capture four major awards overall, surpassing Towson’s Hillary Fratzke (2006-10) and James Madison’s Casey Ancarrow (2010-2013), who each won Rookie of the Year and a pair of Player of the Year accolades. The league’s top cage protector shined with a 13-3 overall record, going 7-1 in CAA play. The redshirt junior produced top 20 marks nationally with a .482 save percentage (13
th in NCAA) and 9.66 goals against average (18
th).
The Pride’s Mennella dazzled all season to capture CAA Attacker of the Year recognition. The redshirt sophomore was on a tear with 99 points this season (4
th in NCAA). Her 62 goals (13th) and 37 assists (25th) were also top 25 in the nation. The CAA’s leading scorer held the top five marks for points in a single game this season, including a pair of double-digit efforts with 10 points at Wagner (March 4) and 11 at Monmouth (April 26). Mennella also found the back of the net eight times against the Hawks, en route to marking the eighth time in CAA history that a player logged 11 or more points in a single game.
Hofstra’s Bender joined Mennella among the league’s top players with Rookie of the Year honors. The Huntington Station, N.Y., native registered 31 goals and 10 assists in her first collegiate season. The freshman attacker was also highly successful from the free position, scoring at a 55.6 percent clip and averaging 0.67 goals per game, both top five in the league. Hofstra has captured two of the major awards from the CAA in the same season since Brittain Altomare earned Player of the Year and Head Coach
Shannon Smith was named Coach of the Year in 2015.
The Seawolves’ Caporuscio earned a unanimous selection as the CAA’s Midfielder of the Year after balancing the Stony Brook lineup on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the sophomore midfielder ranked top three in the league with 2.7 ground balls (2
nd) and 1.8 caused turnovers (3
rd), to go with 4.1 draw controls per game. With 61 total points, her 42 goals on the year also managed to sit inside the CAA’s top 10, tied for seventh. Caporuscio also defended the Midfielder of the Year honor, having previously seen former teammate Ellie Masera capture the accolade in each of the last two seasons since joining the CAA.
Fellow Stony Brook teammate Hines locked up CAA Defensive Player of the Year honors after another standout season on one of the nation’s top backlines. The senior defender was instrumental in guiding the Seawolves to top 20 marks with 9.0 goals allowed (8
th in NCAA) and 10.2 caused turnovers per game (18
th). Individually, the Mount Airy, Md., product paced the conference with 3.4 caused turnovers per game, good for third in NCAA Division I. Hines also averaged a league-best 2.7 ground balls per contest.
Seawolves’ Head Coach Spallina remained undefeated in regular season conference action with another 8-0 mark to secure his third straight Coach of the Year honors. The 14-year veteran at Stony Brook joined elite company as just the third CAA head coach to earn three or more consecutive Coach of the Year honors in the league. He joins James Madison’s Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe (4x, 2016-19) and Towson’s Sonia LaMonica (4x, 2011-14). Spallina has also won his fourth straight conference Coach of the Year honor, having earned the major accolade in the team’s final season with the America East Conference in 2022. Spallina guided his squad to a +6.4 scoring margin (6
th in NCAA) this season after scoring 15.4 goals (12
th) and surrendering just 9.0 tallies (8
th) per contest. The nationally-ranked Seawolves also averaged 24.1 points per game, good for seventh in the nation.
All nine CAA programs were represented on the All-Conference Teams, including six on the First Team alone. Stony Brook led all programs with six players earning an all-conference nod, followed by Drexel with five.
2025 CAA WOMEN’S LACROSSE POSTSEASON AWARDS
CAA Attacker of the Year
Nikki Mennella, Hofstra
CAA Midfielder of the Year
Isabella Caporuscio, Stony Brook*
CAA Defensive Player of the Year
Avery Hines, Stony Brook
CAA Goalkeeper of the Year
Jenika Cuocco, Drexel
CAA Rookie of the Year
Kayleigh Bender, Hofstra
CAA Coach of the Year
Joe Spallina, Stony Brook
*unanimous selection
2025 All-CAA First Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Allison Drake |
Drexel |
Attack |
Gr. |
Easton, Pa. |
| Sammy Fisher |
Elon |
Attack |
Sr. |
Parkland, Fla. |
| Riley McDonald |
Stony Brook |
Attack |
Gr. |
Easton, Pa. |
| Nikki Mennella |
Hofstra |
Attack |
R-So. |
Smithtown, N.Y. |
| Charlotte Wilmoth |
Stony Brook |
Attack |
Gr. |
South Salem, N.Y. |
| Sam Bischoff |
Campbell |
Midfield |
Gr. |
Pomona, N.Y. |
| Isabella Caporuscio |
Stony Brook |
Midfield |
So. |
Mountain Top, Pa. |
| Milana Zizakovic |
Towson |
Midfield |
Sr. |
Alberta, Canada |
| Christine Dannenfelser |
Hofstra |
Defense |
So. |
Bayport, N.Y. |
| Avery Hines |
Stony Brook |
Defense |
Sr. |
Mount Airy, Md. |
| Shannon Sullivan |
Towson |
Defense |
Sr. |
Wantagh, N.Y. |
| Jenika Cuocco |
Drexel |
Goalkeeper |
R-Jr. |
Sound Beach, N.Y. |
2025 All-CAA Second Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Casey Colbert |
Stony Brook |
Attack |
Sr. |
Glenwood Landing, N.Y. |
| Paige Gilbert |
William & Mary |
Attack |
Sr. |
Doylestown, Pa. |
| Anna Maria Gragnani |
Drexel |
Attack |
R-Sr. |
Montebello, N.Y. |
| Delaney McDaniel |
Delaware |
Attack |
Sr. |
Severna Park, Md. |
| Rasa Welsh |
Campbell |
Attack |
Gr. |
Ellicott City, Md. |
| Alexandra Fusco |
Stony Brook |
Midfield |
Sr. |
Bayport, N.Y. |
| Morgan Gore |
Delaware |
Midfield |
Jr. |
Crofton, Md. |
| Kate Quinn |
Drexel |
Midfield |
Jr. |
West Caldwell, N.J. |
| Erin Gormley |
Delaware |
Defense |
Gr. |
Springfield, Pa. |
| Reagan Kuehn |
Elon |
Defense |
So. |
Towson, Md. |
| Camryn Ryan |
Drexel |
Defense |
R-Sr. |
Horsham, Pa. |
| Katie Sullivan |
Monmouth |
Goalkeeper |
So. |
Gainesville, Va. |
2025 CAA All-Rookie Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Lillian Austin |
Elon |
Attack |
Fr. |
Topsail Beach, N.C. |
| Kayleigh Bender |
Hofstra |
Attack |
Fr. |
Huntington Station, N.Y. |
| Danielle Swietoniowski |
Elon |
Attack |
Fr. |
Auburn, N.Y. |
| Julia Fusco |
Stony Brook |
Midfield |
Fr. |
Bayport, N.Y. |
| Teagan Quinn |
Drexel |
Midfield |
Fr. |
West Caldwell, N.J. |
| Lulu Rishko |
Delaware |
Midfield |
Fr. |
Rehoboth Beach, Del. |
| Emma Nikolic |
Drexel |
Defense |
Fr. |
Paoli, Pa. |
| Kennedy Radziul |
Delaware |
Defense |
Fr. |
Northport, N.Y. |
| Kendall Wilson |
Campbell |
Defense |
Fr. |
Dacula, Ga. |
| Jenna Cardeno |
Towson |
Goalkeeper |
Fr. |
Orange, Calif. |