LYNCHBURG, Va. – After capturing its first ASUN Conference title, the Liberty women’s lacrosse team is getting set for the NCAA Tournament. This will mark the Flames first-ever appearance in the big dance. It’s another huge milestone for a program that started as just a club sport back in 2009.
“We’re all kind of like, ‘Whew’, because, you know, you’re just coming down from just a really exciting weekend between winning and then having the selection show and now getting excited about going to Hopkins,” said Liberty women’s lacrosse head coach Kelly Nangle. “So we’re all just, you know, can’t really stop smiling. Even yesterday during practice, I’m like, ‘did this really happen?’”
“Obviously, this has been the goal for so long,” said Flames midfielder Katie Colavito. She was named the 2025 ASUN Championship MVP. “It’s been very exciting. And yes, we have been celebrating, but also just trying to stay present and, like, relish in the moments that we have instead of just kind of being, like, running on to the next thing.”
The Lady Flames (12–7) will face No. 8 seed Johns Hopkins (12–6) in the first round on Friday at 2 p.m. at Homewood Field in Baltimore.
Midfielder Katie Colavito, named ASUN Midfielder of the Year, led Liberty with eight goals in the championship game against Coastal Carolina and was honored as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
Senior attacker Taiva Reinertson broke the program’s single-season records for goals (54) and points (71) during the ASUN final. Fellow senior Mackenzie Lehman, who scored twice in the fourth quarter, is tied for the previous goals record with 52 and sits one point behind the former points record.
Liberty’s defense, led by ASUN Defensive Player of the Year Jenna Burrow, ranks first nationally in caused turnovers per game (17.68) and ground balls per game (22.16). Goalkeeper Rachel Hines and defender Burrow were both named to the ASUN All-Tournament Team.
The Lady Flames’ historic season includes a 14–13 upset over then-No. 20 Richmond in February, marking their first win against the Spiders in program history.
The winner of Friday’s matchup will advance to face the victor between Princeton and Massachusetts on Sunday.