Gwynedd Valley, Pa. – (5/31/2023) – Gwynedd Mercy University opened their 2023 season with a home win over King's College (Pa.) (W, 9-7 on Feb. 18) and finished February with a 2-1 record before concluding the year with a 4-6 non-conference mark and 1-5 standing in Atlantic East Conference (AEC) play. The journey to 5-11 was highlighted by career milestones and All-AEC Second Team selections for team captains junior attack Kristin Varilla (Lansdale, Pa.) and Reilly Owens (Pottstown, Pa.), and capped with a #6 seed in the 2023 AEC Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament.
 
Owens played a major role in Gwynedd Mercy University's hot start as the Griffin goalkeeper collected an AEC Defensive Player of the Week (Feb.20) award for her win, seven saves, six ground balls, and three caused turnovers versus the Monarchs. The opening month continued with a loss to Alvernia University (L, 8-19 on Feb. 22) and a 15-1 victory at Keystone College (Feb. 25). Varilla headlined the win with seven points (5 goals, 2 assists), two ground balls, and two caused turnovers while sophomore midfielder Alysia Collins (Royersford, Pa.) (5 goals, 7 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers, 4 draw controls), sophomore attack Hailey Bloom (Margate City, N.J.) (3 goals, 2 assist, 2 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers), sophomore midfielder Cheyenne Avellino (Egg Harbor Township, N.J.) (2 goals, 2 assists, 3 ground balls, 1 caused turnover, 3 draw controls), and Owens (W, 45:00, 10 saves, 2 ground balls, 2 caused turnovers) provided impressive complimentary performances.
 
March's competition included one-sided wins over Delaware Valley University (W, 17-8 on Mar. 4) and Bryn Athyn College (W 15-7 on Mar. 11) and a pair of AEC Weekly Honor Roll appearances (Mar. 6, Mar. 13) for Varilla. Unfortunately, the Griffins' 2-2 start to March was diminished with consecutive losses to Hood College (L, 8-20 on Mar. 22), Arcadia University (L, 7-12 on Mar. 25) and to Ursinus College (L, 3-18 on Mar. 29). Varilla's first came AEC Weekly Honor Roll appearance came after Gwynedd Mercy University's 17-8 victory over the Aggies; she totaled five goals, an assist, four ground balls, two caused turnovers, and two draw controls after recording five points (5 goals), two ground balls, and two caused turnovers in a 10-8 loss at Wilkes University (Mar. 1).

Her second honor followed 11 points (9 goals, 2 assists), two ground balls, three draw controls, and a caused turnover versus Bryn Mawr College (L, 5-15 on Mar. 9) and Bryn Athyn College. She recorded her 100^th career point on Gwynedd Mercy University's fourth goal of a 15-5 loss at Bryn Mawr College. Owens reached 400 career saves in the same contest with 11 stops.
 
Gwynedd Mercy University opened up conference play at Immaculata University (Apr. 1). There, 60 minutes was not enough time to determine a winner as a back-and-forth affair finished with the Mighty Macs netting the final goal of 14-13 overtime conclusion. Varilla scored a team-high seven goals, while Owens played an outstanding game with 16 saves, eight ground balls, and three caused turnovers.
 
Just four days later (Apr. 5), the Griffins made the trip to Arlington, Virginia, for an AEC contest at Marymount University. There, Varilla scored all three of Gwynedd Mercy University's goals and Owens booked a dozen (12) saves in a 22-3 loss to the Saints. The Griffins did not fare any better versus Marywood University on April 12 as Varilla and Bloom provided the only Gwynedd Mercy University tallies in a 16-2 loss to the Pacers. Owens totaled 13 saves, a ground ball, and a caused turnover.
 
Owens was the lone Griffin celebrated during April 15's Senior Day ceremony; the program's top-flight goalkeeper totaled 11 saves and two ground balls in the subsequent 15-5 loss to Neumann University. The following week, Gwynedd Mercy University ended a seven-game losing streak with a 17-1 triumph at Centenary University (Apr. 19). Several Griffins recorded their first collegiate goal including freshman attack Brianna Godwin (Telford, Pa.) (5-0, 7:25 1QTR), Becker (12-0, 7:26 2QTR), junior defenseman Grace Cooney (Doylestown, Pa.) (14-0, 14:30 3QTR), freshman midfielder Ayana Lyons (Norristown, Pa.) (15-0, 9:45 3QTR), and Owens (16-0, 1:50 3QTR). The last, recorded her 500^th career save before leaving the cage to score her second-half goal. She (1 goal, 1 assist, 1 ground ball, 3 saves) and Varilla (3 goals, 5 assists, 2 caused turnovers, 1 draw control) both garnered AEC Weekly Honor Roll (Apr. 24) appearances for their play versus the Cyclones.
     
The win over Centenary University earned Gwynedd Mercy University the #6 seed in the AEC Championship Tournament. But it was ultimately their last victory of the 2023 season as the regular season closed with a 18-1 loss at Cabrini University (Apr. 26) and postseason concluded with a 23-6 AEC Quarterfinal loss at #3 Marymount University (Apr. 29).
 
Varilla headlined the Gwynedd Mercy University offense and earned her second straight All-AEC Second Team laurel with team-highs in goals (59), assists (16), points (75), and shots (131). She ranked among the AEC Top-10 for goals (4th), goals per game (4th, 3.47), points (5th), points per game (4th, 4.41), shots (5th), and shots per game (3rd, 7.71).
 
Similarly, Owens headlined the Gwynedd Mercy University defense and garnered her second straight All-AEC Second Team honor with another stellar season between the pipes. She finished the season 5-12 with a 13.25 goal-against average (GAA) and a .449 save percentage, while leading the AEC in ground balls (67), ground balls per game (3.94), saves (174), and saves per game (10.24).

Collins (39 points; 26 goals, 13 assists) and Bloom (36 points; 26 goals, 10 assists) both recorded over 30 points in their sophomore seasons. The former additionally provided 34 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers, and 25 draw controls, while the latter also totaled 22 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers, and 24 draw controls. Avellino finished with 17 points (13 goals, 4 assists), 26 ground balls, 14 caused turnovers, and 30 draw controls. Newcomer, sophomore midfielder Caroline Cleary (Chalfont, Pa.) totaled 12 points (6 goals, 6 assists), 28 ground balls, 12 caused turnovers, and a team-high 32 draw controls in just 11 games.