GUELPH, Ont. – On Sunday, September 15, the Guelph Gryphons women's lacrosse team returns to action at home as they host the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks and Brock Badgers in a 2024 season-opening doubleheader.
The 2024 OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship tournament will take place from October 24-26 in St. Catharines with the Brock Badgers serving as hosts. The Gryphons will head into the 2025 regular season looking to improve from their 6
th-place finish at last season's tournament. Second year head coach
Megan Shea is excited about the dynamic of her returning players and incoming players heading into the new season. "We had a significant amount of turnover from a season ago, with eight players graduating from the 2023 team, but we have been really impressed with the way that this 2024 group has come together and are excited to see what this team dynamic will look like. We have nine new additions to our team to compliment some strong returning players which we feel like provides us with a solid foundation for success both this year and in the future."
Goalies
Sara Silano returns to the team for her sophomore season after her impressive play last season earned her the team's Rookie of the Year award. Promising rookie goalie and Rosemère, Quebec native
Madison Hungerbuhler arrives at the University of Guelph having represented Team Quebec in 2022. Former Gryphon standout Shayla Larson joins the coaching staff as the team's goalie coach to lend her expertise to the young Guelph goalies.
Defence
The 2024 defence will have a different look following the graduation of four strong defenders from last season's team.
Payton Curtis will help lead the way on defence for the Gryphons as she moves to a new position, transitioning from attack to defence. The marine and freshwater biology student will help provide leadership and poise from the back. Incoming rookie,
McKenna Murray should make an immediate impact in the Gryphon defence. The biomedical engineering major has great reaction time and impressed with the Halton Hills Bulldogs junior elite team during the summer.
Midfield
Rachel McConvey returns for her third year to help lead the midfield. The 2022 OUA All-Star is joined by
Kirsten Sutter, who returns to the team for her senior season as one of the team captains. The hospitality & tourism management student will provide plenty of experience in the midfield.
Amelia Craftchick is an incoming rookie who joins the team after being a top scorer in box lacrosse in Barrie and has made a smooth transition to field lacrosse in the summer.
Attack
The Gryphons team MVP a season ago,
Megan Latoski, returns for her fourth-year to lead the Gryphons offensive line in 2024. Latoski, a justice and legal studies major from Whitby, is a prolific scorer who has been the Gryphons top goal scorer for multiple seasons. A pair of talented incoming rookies in
Kate Donaldson and
Lindsay Montgomery will help support Latoski in attack. Donaldson provides the team with a strong, physical presence up front and impressed during her time with the Oshawa Blue Knights. Montgomery possesses good speed and agility, and played alongside fellow incoming rookie and current Gryphon teammate
McKenna Murray with the Halton Hills junior elite team.
The Gryphons women's lacrosse team opens up regular season play at the University of Guelph's Varsity Field on Sunday morning (Sept. 15), with an 8:30am game against the Laurier Golden Hawks, followed by a 1:45pm matchup versus the Brock Badgers.
