The 2024 Kalamazoo College women's lacrosse team is two weeks away from starting its season by traveling to Indiana Tech on Feb. 21. The Hornets will look to move up in the MIAA standings after finishing seventh in 2023 with a 5-12 (1-6 MIAA) record.
Schedule Breakdown
- After opening the season on the road at Indiana Tech (Feb. 21), Kalamazoo will host Ohio Northern in its home opener (Feb. 24).
- The Hornets will play three of the first four games in March at home against UW-Eau Claire (Mar. 2), Aquinas (Mar. 6), and North Central (Mar. 16) while traveling to Franklin (Mar. 9) for the road game.
- The team will play three road games over spring break to finish out March: Methodist (Mar. 24), Virginia Wesleyan (Mar. 27), and Pfeiffer (Mar. 29).
- As the calendar turns to April, Kalamazoo will travel to Wooster (Apr. 2) for its final non-conference contest of the season.
- The first two MIAA games will be on the road at Alma (Apr. 6) and Calvin (Apr. 10).
- The Hornets will return to MacKenzie Field for home games against Hope (Apr. 13) and Albion (Apr. 16) before returning to the road to Saint Mary's (Apr. 20).
- The final home game will be against Trine (Apr. 24), and then the regular season will end with a road game at Adrian (Apr. 27).
Roster Breakdown
- Kalamazoo returns 10 players from the 2023 season and will add eight new members for a total of 18 heading into 2024.
- Hannah Heeren, the lone senior, will lead a team of six juniors, three sophomores, and eight freshmen.
Returning Statistical Leaders
- Hannah Heeren returns from an All-MIAA Second Team season after leading the team with 75 points, 20 assists, 55 ground balls, 95 draw controls, 33 caused turnovers, and 98 shots on goal. She was also second on the team with 55 goals.
- In her first collegiate season, Ella Spooner was second on the team with 55 goals and 95 shots on goal and third with 10 assists, 65 points, and 64 draw controls last season.
- Jordan Flink played every minute in net for the Hornets, setting a new program record with 179 saves in 2023.
- Mairin Boshoven and Vivian Schmidt have started every game for Kalamazoo as defenders for the past two years. Last season, they combined for 64 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers.
Stepping Up
- Eden Schnurstein, Lily Grelak, Sophie Hartl, Jordan Doyle, and Natalie Maki combined to score 28 goals last season, and will look to step into more prominent roles as the Hornets lost their top goal scorer in 2023.
- Newcomers Kennedy Hynde, Julia Kozal, Tessa Fuller, Mackenzie Newhall, and Poppy Balkema are all expected to be impact players.
Head Coach Jess Smith
Coach Smith begins her ninth season in charge of the Hornet women's lacrosse team. She led Kalamazoo to their first MIAA Tournament appearance in her first season as head coach. Under Smith, eight different players have been named to All-MIAA teams, including an MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and an MIAA Rookie of the Year in 2021. Before arriving in Kalamazoo, Smith had been a teacher and head varsity girl's lacrosse coach at Patterson Mill High School in Bel Air, Md., since 2007. She also worked and coached with Top of the Bay Sports since 2010 and the Elite Lacrosse Club since 2012.
Quoting Coach Smith
"The team had a very strong fall and is off to a great start in preseason. We're very excited about the leadership and level of play shown by the returners, and our freshman class is making an immediate impact. The team is excited to improve every day, and challenge for our highest-ever finish in the MIAA."