After clinching the Atlantic 10 regular season title, the Massachusetts women’s lacrosse team looks to secure the A-10 Championship during its last run in the conference. With a 20-13 win over St. Bonaventure in Western New York on Saturday, the victory marks the Minutewomen’s (12-3, 9-0 A-10) 14th consecutive regular-season title and their 16th straight season with either a regular-season or tournament championship. Despite its conference success, UMass women’s lacrosse will soon begin a new phase in its history.
Starting next season, the Minutewomen will transition into the Mid-American Conference (MAC), joining several other UMass programs making the same move. The switch brings an end to more than two decades in the A-10, where the program has consistently been one of the conference’s top teams.
Since joining the A-10 in 1999, UMass has compiled a 165-30 conference record and a 330-162 overall record. The Minutewomen have won 11 A-10 Tournament championships and 16 regular-season titles, making them the most decorated team in conference history.
Their sustained success has included numerous undefeated conference seasons and multiple NCAA Tournament qualifications, totaling 12 national appearances during the A-10 era. The win against the Bonnies (9-7, 5-4 A-10) also tallies 54 consecutive A-10 regular-season matchup wins for UMass, with the record dating back to April 22, 2018.
The Minutewomen’s history features several standout players who made a lasting impact on the program. Former goalkeeper Jen Nardi set the A-10 record for save percentage (.700) in 1999, cementing herself as one of the best goalies in UMass history. Nardi also retains one of the highest save percentages in NCAA history, with 149 saves against 64 goals in the 1999 season.
On the offensive side, Katie Ferris holds the program record for career points, amassing 330 from 2011 to 2014. The three-time A-10 Offensive Player of the Year maintains one of the highest career point totals in the NCAA. Her offensive dominance helped define the Minutewomen’s success in the early 2010s, leading the team to four consecutive postseason appearances.
More recently, Fiona McGowan set the A-10 single-season assist record with 56 in 2024, earning herself the A-10 Offensive Player of the Year honor.
The current roster continues to build on this history of achievements. Senior defender Jordan Dean broke the program record for career draw controls, surpassing 523 and counting. In 2024, she set an NCAA Division I single-season record with 261 draw controls, earning Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Second-Team All-Northeast Region honors and USA Lacrosse Honorable Mention All-American recognition.
Redshirt junior Kassidy Morris led UMass with 63 goals in 2024, putting her fourth for most goals scored in a season in program history. The 2024 All-Conference 1st-Team attacker remains consistent this season, with 61 goals and counting.
Additionally, influential head coaches have shaped the Minutewomen’s long-standing success in the A-10. Angela McMahon, who guided the program from 2011 to 2022, oversaw one of the most dominant stretches in conference history. Under her leadership, UMass won eight A-10 titles and competed in the NCAA Tournament nine times. McMahon also led the Minutewomen all the way to the NCAA quarterfinals.
Jana Drummond has since continued the program’s success, securing three regular-season titles and leading the team to one postseason appearance since taking the reins in 2023.
Beyond individual performances, UMass has set numerous team records within the conference. The Minutewomen’s current 54-game A-10 regular-season win streak remains one of the longest in conference and NCAA history. During dominant seasons, they also maintained a 22-game undefeated streak in regular-season competition. This sustained excellence has been one of the defining characteristics of the program throughout its time in the A-10.
UMass’ impact extends beyond conference play, as they have consistently represented the Atlantic 10 on the national stage. Since its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1982, it has made deep postseason runs, including advancing to the quarterfinals in 2016. Knocking out both No. 16 Princeton and No. 13 Cornell, the Minutewomen fell to the previous year’s champions, No. 1 Maryland.
That season alone, UMass took home four of the five major A-10 end-of-season awards. The program’s ability to compete against the nation’s best teams has reinforced its reputation as one of the strongest mid-major programs in women’s lacrosse.
While the end of the A-10 era approaches, the Minutewomen still have UMass Lowell and George Washington left on the schedule. Going into its last A-10 tournament, and despite 14 consecutive regular-season titles, UMass looks to secure the Championship for the first time since 2021.
As the Minutewomen ready themselves for the move to the MAC, the program closes the chapter on a highly successful tenure in the A-10. With multiple championships, record-setting performances and sustained success at the NCAA level, UMass has established itself as one of the conference’s most accomplished teams. As the Minutewomen transition, they bring with them a tradition of excellence and will look to maintain their competitive standard while adjusting to a new conference landscape in the MAC.
Kate Endres can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X at @Kate_e_endres.
