TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati lacrosse team opens the 2025 season at home against Vanderbilt on Saturday. Opening draw is set for 12 p.m. inside Nippert Stadium.
THE RUNDOWN
THE RUNDOWN
- Cincinnati kicks off the 2025 season inside Nippert Stadium against the Vanderbilt Commodores. Opening draw is set for 12 p.m.
- Head coach Gina Thomas begins her 13th year at the helm as the Bearcats embark on their inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference.
- Cincinnati completed its full transition to the Big 12 with the addition of lacrosse, marking a significant milestone for the athletic department
- The Bearcats closed out the 2024 season against the Commodores and now open the 2025 season with a rematch against Vanderbilt.
- The Bearcats return 23 letterwinners, including seven starters. Key returners include three of the top five scorers from last season: Lauren Ottensmeyer (57 goals), Camryn Callaghan (56 goals) and Hailey Joy Simpson (20 goals).
- Last season, UC finished third in the American Athletic Conference in goals per game (13.18).
- The Bearcats welcome 12 freshmen and two transfers to the 2025 roster.
- Juniors Sophia Passa and Gillian Smith add experience to the program after spending two seasons at Longwood and Old Dominion, respectively.
- Freshman Paige Selhorn looks to make an immediate impact in the attacker role. The New York native finished her high school career with 155 goals, Conference Player of the Year and Academic All-American honors.
- Junior attack Camryn Callaghan, named to the First Team All-AAC in 2024, continues to shine with preseason All-Big 12 honors. She became the quickest freshman in program history to achieve 100 career goals.
- Graduate student Lauren Ottensmeyer and senior Alexis Rich also earned preseason honors, with Ottensmeyer finishing second in the AAC for goals per game (3.35) and as the leader in shots per game (8.35).
- Rich provides defensive leadership as a four-year starter. The New Jersey native recorded a season-high 18 caused turnovers and 29 groundballs. She also scored her first career goal against Louisville.
- The 2024 season was highlighted by a 25-4 victory over Youngstown State. This marked the program's largest-ever margin of victory. The 25 goals also matched a March 8, 2020 win over Kent State for the most in program history. It was the first-ever Leap Day win for the team and first-such contest since its inaugural 2008 season.