via Keiser website/press releases

Women’s Lacrosse Edges SCAD for Top Spot in Sun Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll

The Sun Conference announced the 2024 Preseason Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Poll on Tuesday afternoon. For the second straight season, Keiser was picked to finish first in the conference by one vote.

Top of the League

• Keiser topped the poll with 33 total points, including three first-place votes.
• Just behind with 32 votes was SCAD-Savannah with 32 points and four first-place votes.

A Look Back at Last Season

• The Seahawks finished the 2023 season with a 16-2 overall record, going 6-0 in the inaugural Sun Conference regular season.
• Keiser would go on to play in the Sun Conference Tournament Championship and later the NAIA National Championship Semifinal.
• The team returns a majority of the 2023 squad including top point-getter Abbey Cannon who tallied 29 goals and 31 assists for KU in 2023.
• Also returning are Chloe Foley (36), Samantha Esher (30), Madison Andrews (24), MacKenzie Gibaud (23), and Hayley Frew (22) who each surpassed 20 goals.
• On the defensive side of the ball, returning starters Sydney Parker and Alexa Poole will get help from 2022 All-Mid South Conference defender Jasmine Sidawi, who missed 2023 with an injury, as well as a slew of newcomers ready to make an impact.

2024 Sun Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Get the latest information on the team by following Keiser_wlax on Instagram, and Keiser wlax on Twitter.
 
General athletic news can be found at KUSeahawks on Facebook, kuseahawks on Instagram, and kuseahawks on Twitter. 

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Women’s Lacrosse Releases 2024 Schedule

The Keiser women’s lacrosse team released its 2024 schedule Wednesday. The Seahawks have 16 games in the spring including nine at the Keiser Multi-Purpose Field in West Palm Beach, Florida.

In 2023, the Seahawks finished the regular season with a 16-2 record. Keiser was crowned champions in the inaugural Sun Conference regular season after going 6-0. KU would head to the NAIA National Championship site for the third consecutive year. Some key returners for the Seahawks include two-time NAIA All-American Madison Andrews who returns to the field after missing the majority of the 2023 season. Before her exit, Andrews recorded 24 goals and ten assists. She is Keiser’s all-time leader in goals and enters the season 12 points behind Melanie Brown for the lead in points. On the offensive side, the Seahawks also return Chloe Foley who recorded 36 goals and ten assists in 2023. Samantha Esher and Abbey Cannon will also rejoin the squad in 2024, accounting for 59 goals and 48 assists last season. Hayley Frew will likely see a lot of action in the circle as she currently sits fourth in program history for draw controls with 111. On the defensive side of the field, Keiser will have a few familiar faces as Sydney Parker and Alexa Poole will likely be joined by former All-Conference selection Jasmine Sidawi on the back line. 

When asked about the upcoming season, Head Coach Lauren Chizmar stated, “What a great schedule we have in 2024. We can’t take any team lightly as the talent across the board is tremendous. After starting the year at St. Thomas, we’ll have a great home slate here in sunny West Palm Beach. In that stretch, we have a familiar foe in our former Mid-South Conference rival, Cumberlands (Ky.), and are excited to play six opponents competed in the NAIA National Tournament last year. I’m looking forward to seeing this group of women compete in 2024 and especially hosting the Sun Conference Tournament in April.”

• Keiser opens the 2024 schedule with a non-conference match-up against St. Thomas on February 13 in Miami Gardens, Fla.
• The Seahawks will then have a six-game home stand, facing off against Reinhardt, Cumberlands (Ky.), Lawrence Tech, Seina Heights, Marian, and Aquinas.
• On March 4, the defending NAIA National Champions, Lawrence Tech, will make the trip to West Palm Beach to face the Seahawks at 12:00 p.m.
• KU will fly to Indiana for a pair of games against Indiana Tech and Concordia (Mich.) on March 17 and 18.
• Keiser opens Sun Conference play with a rematch of the 2023 NAIA Semifinals against SCAD-Savannah at home on March 23.
• The Seahawks will finish the regular season full-circle when they face off in SUN Conference play against St. Thomas.
• On April 19, the Sun Conference Tournament will be hosted by KU in West Palm Beach, Florida, with the championship set for April 20.
• This year, the NAIA National Tournament will be held in Savannah, Georgia from May 1-4.

Keiser Seahawks 2024 Women’s Lacrosse Schedule

Home Games in ALL CAPS and bold
Neutral games in italics
*Sun Conference Game

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Women’s Lacrosse Announces Alexis Bernath as Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach

Keiser head women’s lacrosse coach Lauren Chizmar announced the return of a 2021 NAIA National Champion on Friday with Alexis Bernath returning to Keiser as the Assistant Women’s Lacrosse Coach.

“I am thrilled to welcome Alexis Bernath as our new assistant coach,” said Coach Bennett. “Alexis is a Keiser alumna who was a member of the inaugural team in 2017 through our national championship in 2021. Alexis has seen the growth of the program firsthand as a player, and I am excited to see her passion translated as a coach at her alma mater. She truly embodies the Keiser University spirit, as she brings a championship mindset, unprecedented work ethic, and inordinate passion for the game to our team. I am thrilled to be adding her knowledge of the university, team, and culture to our coaching staff.”

“I am so excited and incredibly grateful to be returning to Keiser as an assistant coach,” Bernath said. “The strong team culture and values that were in place when I was a player on the team are still present and still hold true to me as an individual. This team has the opportunity to do big things in the NAIA this upcoming season and I cannot wait to see what this year brings.”

Bernath joins the Seahawks from Wellington Community High School where she was the Assistant Varsity Coach. In her two years with the program, the Wolverines have a combined 19-16 record including two appearances in the FHSAA Girls Lacrosse State Championship Tournament.

Prior to her coaching career, Bernath was a five-year member of the women’s lacrosse team at Keiser. In that time, she tallied 25 groundballs, 17 caused turnovers, three goals, and an assist. In her final two seasons with the Seahawks, Bernath served as team captain and helped the Seahawks to an NAIA National Championship as a starter against Cumberlands in the final game of her college career.

Coach Bernath received her undergraduate degree in business administration from Keiser in 2021.