Hope College's back-to-back MIAA women's lacrosse champions aim for a three-peat.
The Flying Dutch, who went unbeaten in 18 MIAA regular-season and tournament matches the past two seasons combined, return five All-MIAA honorees, including junior and reigning MIAA Most Valuable Offensive Player Julia Brown.
Hope, the preseason favorite in the 2025 MIAA coaches poll, must integrate 12 incoming freshmen into the roster. The Flying Dutch graduated five seniors after finishing last season with a 13-5 overall record.
Head coach Keagan Pieri is excited with the promise the Flying Dutch hold.
"With our incoming freshman class, we have a lot of depth this year that we are really excited about," said Pieri, the 2024 MIAA Women's Lacrosse Coach of the Year. "Our returners will pick up right where our seniors left off. Our goal [for this season] is simply to go as far as we possibly can, while being present and focusing on the process every day to get there."
ROSTER
Hope's roster of 25 includes three seniors, nine juniors, one sophomore, and twelve freshman.
The senior class is composed of Mia Skibins (Granger, Indiana / Penn HS), Kerrigan Brown (DeWitt, Michigan / DeWitt), and Juli Kirkpatrick (Granger, Indiana / Penn).
Skibins and Kirkpatrick help make up the five returning athletes who received All-MIAA accolades last season.
Juniors Caroline Curnutt (Fishers, Indiana / Heritage Christian), Caleigh Randall (Lansing, Michigan / DeWitt) and Julia Brown (Grand Rapids, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) are also among those honored last season. Brown is also the lone Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association all-region honoree returning for Hope.
Julia Brown set single-season school records last season with 65 goals and 85 points. All-time, Brown ranks third at Hope with 119 career goals, trailing Elena Salazar '24 (196) and Carly Pieri '21 (125).
COACHING STAFF
Head coach: Keagan Pieri, 6th season
Assistant coach: Rich Pruszynski
SCHEDULE
The Flying Dutch open the season with back-to-back road games. Hope travels to Oberlin College (Ohio) on Friday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m, then to The College of Wooster (Ohio) on Saturday, March 1, at 11 a.m.
The home opener for the Orange and Blue is on Tuesday, March 4, at 4 p.m. against Aurora University at Van Andel Soccer Stadium.
Hope will play eight non-league games before the MIAA opener against Adrian College on Saturday, April 5, at 1 p.m.
The top six teams in the MIAA regular-season standings qualify for the league tournament that begins on Saturday, April 26. The first- and second-place teams receive first-round byes.
