ROLLINS WOMEN'S LACROSSE HISTORY
2006 - On November 30, 2006, the Rollins College Athletics Department announced the addition of men’s and women’s lacrosse for the 2007-08 academic year, increasing the College’s number of varsity sports to 23. Rollins also became the first school in Florida to offer both varsity men’s and women’s lacrosse. The Tars will be the 41st NCAA Division II women’s program in the nation with a majority of the schools located in the East.
2007 – On March 19, 2007, Dennis Short was appointed the first-ever Rollins women’s lacrosse head coach. Short brings 14 years of coaching experience, including five at Division I University at Albany (N.Y.). Prior to Albany, Short was first assistant at The Ohio State University for six seasons and helped the program transition from club to NCAA Division I.
2008 – In the Tars’ inaugural season, Rollins finished with a record of 3-9 as the Tars faced five teams who were ranked in the top-15 in Division I all season long. Their most success came in the form of how well the team overcame adversity and how well they could pull themselves through difficult situations. Freshman midfielder Courtney Bianculli took the Tars’ first-ever draw and scored the program’s first-ever goal in a contest against Pfeiffer. The Tars’ first win of the season and program came against Notre Dame College in an 11-10 victory. The Tars’ efforts did not go unnoticed as freshman attacker Liz Connelly was named to the Womenslacrosse.com All-Rookie Team
2009 – With the addition of 12 new players to the 2009 season, head coach Dennis Short led the women’s lacrosse team to a record of 12-3 in just their second year of existence. The Tars kicked off the season with a 19-14 win over Pfeiffer, but suffered a 19-3 loss to Adelphi a week later. The Tars strung along three consecutive wins, including an overtime-upset thriller over No. 7 Gannon. Rollins made their debut in the national poll at No. 10 a week later and rode that ranking for two weeks. The start of the month of April was a memorable one for the Tars as Rollins registered its first shutout victory in program history; Rollins defeated Erskine 17-0. The Tars ended the season with a victory over Converse, en route to multiple postseason accolades. Marissa Giannerini became the program’s first-ever All-American while also earning All-South Region honors. Joining Giannerini with all-region honors were Liz Connelly and Katy Tyszko. Connelly was also recognized as the Womenslacrosse.com Division II Unsung Hero of the Year after helping push the Tars into the national spotlight as Rollins became a DII threat and exploded into the national rankings for the first time in the programs very short history.
2010 – Rollins faced a small setback in 2010 as they posted a record of 9-5. The Tars were unable to keep the ball rolling but remained competitive as they strung along four straight victories to end the season. Midfielder Marissa Giannerini capped off her stellar career at Rollins as a two-time All-American and All-South Region honoree. Making the biggest impact on the team was newcomer Erica Pagliarulo. The freshman was named to the Womenslacrosse.com 2010 Division II All-Rookie Team. She finished her first campaign with the Tars with 39 goals (second best on team) and 10 assists for a combined 49 points, placing her third overall on the team. She started in 13 of 14 games and tallied two game-winning goals. She capped off her midfield performance by winning an overwhelming 50 draw controls, helping the Tars lead the nation as she ranked 12th overall in Division II.
2011 – The Tars bounced back to their winning ways in 2011 as they set a new program best 13-4 record, spending the final nine weeks ranked within the top-10. Rollins’ highest ranking came in at No. 7 after closing out the regular-season with an upset over No. 3 Limestone, who had been undefeated on the year. Head coach Dennis Short was named Inside Lacrosse’s first-ever Dani Award Coach of the Year while assistant coach Tom Kienle was recognized by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) as the National Assistant Coach of the Year. Marissa Giannerini returned for one more season with the Tars and earned an All-American and All-South Region nod. Also earning All-South Region honors were Courtney Bianculli and Erica Pagliarulo.
2012 – Rollins had their best season in program history as the Tars posted a record of 15-2, earning them their first postseason bid as the No. 1 seed in the South Region and a bye into the National Semifinal. Rollins was the No. 8 preseason favorite coming into the 2012 season. The Tars rattled off three straight wins to begin the season before notching one of the most important wins of the year – an upset of No. 3 Limestone on their home turf, 11-10. The Tars slowly reached new heights as they checked in at No. 2 in the national poll, while also receiving first-place votes. Rollins was the only undefeated Division II team at the time of release with a mark of 14-0. With region rankings released, Rollins was the No. 1 seed in the south and remained there until postseason play. As the Tars neared the end of the 2012 slate, Rollins made a trip out to Denver, Colo. where they faced Regis twice in a matter of two days, ultimately snapping a 15-game win streak and dropping the final regular-season game 14-13. Earning the bye into the National Semifinal game, Rollins faced No. 7 West Chester and was unable to overcome the Rams, falling 19-10 to end the Tars’ season. Six earned All-South Region honors while Courtney Bianculli and Dennis Short headlined the Headline Synapse Sports Postseason Awards. Short was named Coach of the Year while Bianculli was tabbed as the Defender of the Year. Earning All-American honors were Bianculli, Katie Palasz, Erica Pagliarulo, Sophie Townsend, Elyse De Lisle while Chelsea Pinneke was named to the All-Rookie Team. In his sixth year at the helm of the women’s lacrosse program, head coach Dennis Short was named Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) South Region Coach of the Year, while assistant coach Tom Kienle was also tabbed as the IWLCA National Assistant Coach of the Year.
2013 – Rollins registered the most wins in program history with a record of 16-2 while earning their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Tars notched their first postseason victory as they defeated Lock Haven in the first round of the tournament. Rollins debuted at No. 4 in the Division II preseason poll and were ranked no higher than No. 3 throughout the season. The Tars began the year with six straight wins before falling to Limestone at home by one goal. Rollins won the next four contests before a facing nationally ranked West Chester in a rematch of last year’s semifinal game. Rollins defeated the Rams 12-9, handing West Chester their first loss of the season. The Tars went undefeated to close out the regular-season, earning them the No. 2 seed in the region. Rollins defeated Lock Haven to advance to the semifinal game against No. 2 Limestone. The Saints were too much for the Tars as Rollins suffered a heartbreaking 11-10 loss in overtime to end the Tars’ season in Owings Mills, Md. Courtney Bianculli capped off her collegiate career as a two-time All-American and two-time IWLCA Defender of the Year. Katie Palasz and Erica Pagliarulo also were named All-American selections.
2014 - Coming off their second straight National Semifinal appearance, Rollins opened the year as the fourth-ranked team in the country. The Tars went 5-1 in their first six games, including a win over then seventh-ranked Stonehill followed by a thrilling 16-14 overtime win over Bentley after trailing 12-7 at halftime. Unfortunately, injuries caught up to them as Rollins stumbled through the middle of their schedule. The Tars lost three starters to season ending knee injuries after graduating seven from the previous season. Rollins went 2-7 over their next nine games, with wins over Lenior-Rhyne and Coker. Rollins saw a program record ten different goal scorers in the win over Coker, their most lopsided win in two years. The Tars then closed out their season with a convincing, 17-6, win over Tampa. Seven players scored double-digit goals on the year with freshman and sophomores accounting for nearly 60 percent of the teams’ scoring with sophomore Tyler Thomas finishing with a team high 45 goals. Senior Elyse De Lisle started all 16 games in goal and will leave as the winningest goalkeeper in Rollins program history with a career record of 50-16. The graduating class of De Lisle, Ginevra Czech, Caroline Lamere, Ariana Louder, Mary Stufano and Kelly Thayer will leave Rollins as one of the most successful classes in the seven-year history of the program, finishing their careers with a record of 52-16 and a pair of National Semifinal appearances.
2015 - After capturing the inagural SSC Tournament Championship, the Tars fell in the NCAA Quarterfinal. Junior Tyler Thomas was named to first team IWLCA All-American while Kristina Coppolino and Chelsea Pinneke took home third team honors. Ty. Thomas and Pinneke had already been named first team All-South Region while Coppolino was named to the South Region second team. The SSC Player of the Year, Thomas set new program highs for goals and points in a season and moved into third place all-time in career goals (146) and fourth in points (170). Pinneke set a new Rollins single season record for draw controls with 60 while also adding 12 goals and three assists for 15 points. Coppolino finished second on the team with 40 goals and led the team with 28 assists for 68 points, the second most in a single season in Rollins history. Freshman Malorie Olin was named Co-Freshman of the Year in the SSC while Dennis Short was named the conferences Coach of the Year. Joining Ty. Thomas on the All-SSC first team were Coppolino, Alley Rhinehart, Chelsea Pinneke and Brenna Heaney.
2016 - An impressive season which saw Rollins reach the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history ended at the hands of Florida Southern. The Tars also fell at the hands of the Mocs in the Sunshine Conference Championship. Four Tars were named to the Division II All-American Teams. Kris Coppolino was selected for the second straight season while Malorie Olin, Maddie Hendren and Kallie German were first time achievers. German was also named Sunshine Conference Freshman of the Year while Coppolino was a First Team all Conference performer and a First Team All-South Region selection. Olin was a First Team All-Conference and All-Region performer as well while Hendren was voted to the All-Region Second-Team. All of the honors were good for a new program record for IWLCA All-Americans in a season.
2017 - Rollins finished with a 12-5 record after a quarterfinal loss to Florida Tech in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament. Two Rollins players earned a spot on the All-Region Team selected by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association. Sophomores Kallie German and Lindsay Van Beck were chosen and the duo also received All-American honors from IWLCA. In the summer, Rollins women’s lacrosse alums Taylor and Tyler Thomas represented the USA playing in the Women’s Lacrosse World Cup.
2018 - A 14-4 season for Rollins concluded at the hands of Florida Southern in the Sunshine State Conference Semifinals. While the Mocs got the better of the Tars in the postseason, an outstanding performance by goalie Malorie Olin helped Rollins upset #1 Florida Southern and earned her Defensive Player of the Week in the Sunshine State Conference for the third time of the season. The win ended Florida Southern’s 27 game win streak. Six Tars were named All-Conference performers. Kallie German and Lindsay Van Beck were First-Team selections while Hannah Ashton, Lil Rizk, Kaitlin Prince and Malorie Olin were named to the Second Team. German and Van Beck also earned First Team All-Region honors as well as All-American honors. Meanwhile, Ashton and Olin were named to the All-Region Second Team.
2019 - Rollins returned to the NCAA Tournament earning the 3rd Seed in the South Region. The Tars defeated Florida Southern in overtime of the first round of the tournament and took #10 ranked Queens to overtime as well, falling just short in the extra frame. Kallie German and Lindsay Van Beck earned a spot on the Sunshine Conference First Team for the fourth season in a row. Hannah Ashton also appeared on the First Team while Lily Rizk and Kaitlin Prince found themselves on the Second Team. German, Rizk and Van Beck also found themselves on the First Team All-South Region squad while Ashton made the Second Team. Finally, German finished as an All-American for the fourth year in a row and as a First team performer for the second year. Meanwhile, Van Beck earned a spot on the Second Team for the second time in her career and Rizk received Third Team recognition.
2020 - A pandemic-shortened season saw the Tars compete in just seven contests, finishing with a record of 6-1. The only loss came at the hands of #1 ranked Adelphi in a one-goal defeat. Despite the length of the season, Lily Rizk once again earned All-American honors, this time appearing on the First Team. Sophie Stavisky found herself on the Second Team following the shortened season.
2021 - Once again, Rollins played a seven game slate and once again the Tars finished with a record of 6-1, winning their final six contests. Hannah Forbes collected All-American honors from US Lacrosse Magazine for the first time in her career. Forbes was joined by Liz Fahey on the First Team of the South Region while junior Caroline Gastonguay was selected to the Second Team. Liz Fahey was also selected to the Third Team of the IWLCA All-American list. The Tars finished ranked #17 by US Lacrosse Magazine with seven players landing on the All-Sunshine State Conference Team: Liz Fahey (1st), Hannah Forbes (1st), Caroline Gastonguay (1st), Bridget Cawley (2nd), Eden Cooke (2nd), Megan DeGroat (2nd), and Gabby Tanner (2nd).
2022 - Rollins fell at the hands of Florida Southern in the Sunshine State Conference Tournament semifinals to finish the season 13-4. A strong season was filled with postseason accolades. Caroline Gastonguay was named Conference Player of the year for her 77 point campaign. Gastonguay’s performance earned her a spot on the All-Conference First Team alongside teammates Bridget Cawley, Abigail DeGroat, Megan DeGroat, Liz Fahey and Rachel Schlesinger, who all were selected to the Second Team. The honors continued for Gastonguay and her teammates as she was named to the First Team of USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American list while Fahey, Cawley and Megan DeGroat were Honorable Mentions. Gastonguay was a First Team All-American selection by IWLCA and received All-Region recognition alongside Megan DeGroat.
2023 - A 15-4 season captured a trip to the NCAA Tournament for Rollins where they were bounced in the first round by Sunshine State Conference foe Tampa. A strong regular season featured the 200th win for Head Coach Dennis Short, 179 of which have come at Rollins. Four Tars earned All-SSC accolades. Caroline Gastonguay and Abigail Cawley were First Team selections with Bridget Cawley and Claire Barber landed on the Second Team. Gastonguay and Abigail Cawley were named to the First Team All-South Region Team. Lastly, Gastonguay collected Second Team All-American honors.
2024 - Rollins finished the season 11-6 with a loss in the Sunshine Conference Tournament first round to Lynn University. In a thrilling victory against Florida Tech, Caroline Gastonguay set the record for All-Time Goals in a Rollins uniform, surpassing the previous record held by Kallie German. Gastonguay scored four goals in the game to climb up to 205 in her career. The graduate student finished with 214 in her career. Gastonguay’s career was capped off with All-American Honors from USA Lacrosse and the IWLCA. She was also named to the All-Sunshine State Conference First Team alongside Isabella Cecchi and Madison McGarry who were Second Team selections.
