Lacrosse Faces Austin Peay Sunday on the Road

GAME #7 \| at AUSTIN PEAY
Date	Sunday, March 1 \| 11 a.m. CT (12 p.m. ET)
Venue	Morgan Bros. Field \| Clarksville, Tenn.
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live	Live Statistics \| Watch (ESPN+)
Social Media	Instagram: @emu_Lacrosse \| Twitter: @EMU_Lacrosse

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University lacrosse team, coming off one of its biggest wins in program history in a 12-9 victory at the University of Oregon (Feb. 22), will travel to Clarksville, Tenn., Sunday, March 1, for a meeting with the Governors of Austin Peay State University at 11 a.m. CT (12 p.m. ET) at Morgan Bros. Field. The Eagles (4-2) have equaled their best start in program history and will look to take the top spot with a win over the first-year Governors (3-1) when the two sides meet live on ESPN+.

OPENING DRAWS
» Eastern is 4-2 in 2026 and coming off a huge 12-9 win at Oregon (Feb. 22) to mark its first win over a 'Power 4' program while also tying for the best start in program history with the 2025 squad. The Eagles entered their game with the Ducks 0-7 all-time against 'Power 4' schools and 0-4 against the Big Ten.
» The Eagles have or will face four opponents for the first time in program history with games played at home and two on the road. EMU, who defeated Lindenwood (14-11, Feb. 11), will play new foes in back-to-back games this week when it plays at Austin Peay (March 1) and Vanderbilt (March 4). The remaining new opponent is MAC newcomer UMass, who will play in Ypsilanti, April 11.
» The win over Xavier (Feb. 14) extended EMU's home winning streak to three games and tied the program record set twice before. The first instance came with the final game of 2023 and the first two home contests of 2024 with the second consisting of three consecutive wins in 2025.
» The victory over Oregon (Feb. 22) was not the only milestone achieved by the Eagles as Tracy Grollman reached 100 points in her career while Maddy Porter collected her 150th career ground ball.
» Tracy Grollman was named the MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week (Feb. 25) following her strong play in Oregon. The graduate student and member of the first recruiting class in program history, Grollman tallied four points on two goals and two assists to reach exactly 100 points in her career.
» Tracy Grollman earning the conference's weekly academic award marked back-to-back weeks the league has honored an EMU lacrosse player after Kelsea Dague was named last week. Grollman is now the first player in program history to earn the honor twice in a career after being selected once last year.
» Mackenzie Blackwell has tallied 24 points this year on 18 goals and a career-high-tying six assists. She currently (as of Feb. 25) ranks 11th nationally in goals scored (second in the MAC) and 20th in total points (second in the MAC) while also ranking 22nd in shots per game (7.33) and 45th in goals per game (3.00).
» Eastern is set to play 16 regular season games in 2026 with eight each being played at home and on the road. The schedule also features three games against teams from a 'Power 4' conference, including road games at Oregon (Big Ten) and Vanderbilt (SEC) and a home game with Cincinnati (Big 12).
» Five Eagles were named captains for the 2026 season, including Mackenzie Blackwell, Samantha Borgert, Kelsey Dague, Maddy Porter, and Annika Wozney.
» The team will feature 12 seniors, including nine that were part of the program's first major signing class in 2022. The group will be honored in Senior Day festivities following the game with Robert Morris, April 18.
» The coaching staff also welcomed two new faces as Irene Carlquist and Ty McGuire were hired as assistant coaches. Carlquist, most recently the head coach at Lees-McRae, will work with the goalkeepers, while McGuire, the former head coach of the men's program at Concordia-Ann Arbor, will work with the defense.
» Maddie Dugan is in her second season guiding the Eagles. The 2024 MAC Coach of the Year at Detroit Mercy, Dugan guided the Eagles to a share of the MAC regular season crown in 2025, the first title in program history.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT
For the second consecutive week, a member of the program was named the MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week with Tracy Grollman earning the accolade (Feb. 25) after her four-point performance at Oregon helped the Eagles to their first win over a 'Power 4' program while also pushing her career total to 100 points. Grollman, who earned the honor one week after Kelsea Dague (Feb. 18), is the first player in program history to garner the award twice in a career after earning the award last year.

QUICK RECAP: WILD WEST WIN
The Eagles flew west to take on the Ducks and secured a 12-9 victory at Pape Field, in Eugene, Ore., Feb. 22, as Eastern secured its first win over a 'Power 4' team in program history. After taking a 1-0 lead on their first possession, the Eagles fell behind, 3-1, and were down, 5-3, heading into the second quarter where they used a 6-2 scoring burst to grab a 9-7 halftime lead. After being held scoreless in the third and the Ducks tying the score at 9-9, the Eagles went to work in the fourth with three goals scored while shutting out the hosts and taking a 12-9 win. Kelsea Dague scored a hat trick, including the game-winning goal, while Mackenzie Blackwell, Tracy Grollman, and Emerson Henry each added two goals. Grollman recorded two more assists to give her four points in the game and bring her career total to 100 while Maddy Porter made nine saves and scooped her 150th career ground ball in the contest.

POWER OUTAGE
For the first time in program history, Eastern Michigan defeated a team from the 'Power 4' as it handed Oregon, a member of the Big Ten, a 12-9 defeat in Eugene, Ore., Feb. 22. With the win, the Eagles improved to 1-7 all-time against teams from the 'Power 4' after falling in games with Michigan (0-3) and Oregon (1-1) of the Big Ten, Notre Dame (0-2) of the ACC, and Cincinnati (0-1) of the Big 12. Eastern will have two more chances to 'Fly the Flag' (the Mid-American Conference's designation for defeating a 'Power 4' team in any sport utilizing a black MAC flag over cross bones) when the Eagles play at Vanderbilt of the SEC (March 4) and host Cincinnati (March 8) in back-to-back games.

SECOND HALF SURGE
A huge factor in the Eagles' win at Oregon (Feb. 22) was their defensive play in the second half. After surrendering its 9-7 halftime lead by entering the fourth quarter tied at 9-9, Eastern stepped up its play by shutting out the Ducks in the fourth to claim the win. Historically, the goals allowed ranked highly on several program lists, including:
» The nine goals allowed tied for the seventh-fewest in a single game in program history, equaling the nine permitted at Detroit Mercy (April 7, 2024).
» The two goals surrendered in the second half tied for the fifth-fewest in any half of play and tied for the third-fewest in the second half of play. It marked the second time this year EMU has allowed just two goals in the second half after doing so first at home against Xavier (Feb. 14).
» The two goals allowed in the second half marked the third time this year the Eastern defense has given up four or fewer goals in the final two quarters. Along with the Xavier game, the Eagles allowed four goals in the second half to Butler (Feb. 8), which is tied for the ninth-lowest total.

ADDING TO THE LIST
Prior to winning at Oregon, the furthest West the Eagles had won a game came with their win in Indiana at Butler last year (March 7). With the addition of Oregon, the Eagles have now won at least one game in seven states, including Michigan, Delaware, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, and South Carolina, as well as Washington D.C.

BEST START
The win at Oregon (Feb. 22) pushed the Eagles' record to 4-2, which tied for the best start in program history with the 2025 squad. Last year, EMU opened the season 0-2 before winning four consecutive games for its best start in the short existence of the program. A win at Austin Peay would give the 2026 team the top spot on the best start list as the 2025 team was 4-3 after seven games.

KNOW THE FOE: AUSTIN PEAY
The Governors are playing their inaugural season and stand 3-1 following a thrilling 17-16, come-from-behind home win over Canisius, Feb. 27. Austin Peay, who defeated Gardner-Webb, 15-14, at home in their inaugural game, also has defeated Presbyterian on the road, 19-14, while its only loss is at Furman, 17-9. Individually, Lauryn Warfield leads the team with 20 points on 18 goals and two assists while Samantha Houttekier is second with 19 points following her nine-point game (six goals, three assists) against Canisius. Sophia Schwab, who played at MAC rival Detroit Mercy last year and is the younger sister of former EMU player Avery Schwab, is third with 12 points. Defensively, Erin-Kate Roeder has played all four games in goal where she has made 23 saves and allowed 61 goals for a 15.25 goals-against average.

IN THE SERIES: EAGLES vs. GOVERNORS
The game between Eastern and Austin Peay will mark the first meeting in the series and a meeting of newer programs. The Eagles are in their fourth varsity season in 2026 with the Governors playing their inaugural season this year.

SECOND OF FOUR FIRSTS
The game with Austin Peay will mark the second time this year Eastern will face a team for the first time after defeating visiting Lindenwood, 14-11, Feb. 11. The game with the Governors will be the first of back-to-back games against first-time foes as well with the Eagles set to play at Vanderbilt, March 4. The final newcomer of the four on the schedule comes in MAC play when UMass comes to town, April 11.

TAKING ON • ASUN
The Eagles' game at Austin Peay will mark the second of the season against a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference after Eastern downed Lindenwood, 14-11, Feb. 11, in Ypsilanti.

NEAR THE TOP OF THE (COLLEGIATE) WORLD
Mackenzie Blackwell enters the weekend ranked among the best in the NCAA in scoring and points as she ranks 11th in goals scored (18) and 20th in points (24) while also ranking among the top 50 in two other categories, including 22nd in shots per game (7.33) and 45th in goals per game (3.00). Blackwell ranks among the top four in all four of those areas in the MAC, including second in both goals scored and points while sitting fourth in goals per game and shots per game average.

PORTER ON THE RISE
Maddy Porter also ranks highly in two national categories, including saves, where her 49 stops are seventh in NCAA Division I. Porter also ranks 46th in saves per game (8.17).

FEELING ACTIVE • NCAA CAREER LIST
Each year, the NCAA compiles a list of current players in each division and where they rank in statistical categories based upon their career totals with two Eagles highly ranked once again:
Mackenzie Blackwell
» 165 goals = 7th in NCAA Division I
» 3.00 goals/game = 15th in NCAA Division I
» 184 points = 14th in NCAA Division I
» 3.35 points/game = 26th in NCAA Division I
» 4.49 draw controls/game = 14th in NCAA Division I
Maddy Porter
» 3.95 ground balls/game= 1st in NCAA Division I
» 150 ground balls = 3rd in NCAA Division I
» 360 saves = 9th in NCAA Division I

MORE ON THE LIST
Two more Eagles also rank among the top 10 in the MAC statistically through games played Feb. 19. Emerson Henry ranks eighth in the MAC in draw controls per game with 3.0 per contest while Payton Bloedow is 10th in caused turnovers per game at 1.6.

NATIONALLY KNOWN • TEAM RANKINGS
As a team, Eastern is among the top 50 in two statistical categories (through games played Feb. 26), including 19th in ground balls per game (18.33) and 27th in caused turnovers per game (10.17). The Eagles rank fourth and third, respectively, in the MAC in those two areas as well.

GROLLMAN HITS CENTURY MARK
Tracy Grollman recorded four points on two goals and two assists at Oregon (Feb. 22) to bring her career total to 100 points, making her only the second player in program history to reach the century mark. Grollman, who recorded her sixth career game with multiple goals and multiple assists in the same contest, tied her season-high in points she set at Marquette in the opener (Feb. 6). Her ninth career game with multiple assists, she brought her career total to 42 helpers, leaving her three shy of the program record of 45 set by Avery Schwab (2023-25).

SHE CAN DIG IT
Maddy Porter achieved her second career milestone of the season during the victory at Oregon (Feb. 22) as the junior goalkeeper collected one ground ball to bring her career total to 150, making her the first player in program history to reach the milestone mark after becoming the first to reach 100 as well. Ranked first among all current NCAA Division I players for career ground balls per game average (3.9), Porter previously recorded her 350th career save in the game at Canisius (Feb. 18).

HAVING ANOTHER BIG DAGUE
After sitting out the 2025 season with an injury, Kelsea Dague has made the most of her return to the field as she ranks second on the team in goals scored (11), third in points (12), and leads the squad with two game-winning goals after recording her second in the win at Oregon (Feb. 22). Dague has been in great form in recent weeks as she has scored multiple goals in each of the last four contests, including hat tricks against Lindenwood (Feb. 11), Xavier (Feb. 14), and Oregon while adding two at Canisius (Feb. 18). Through the game with the Ducks, Dague ranks second on the team with three hat tricks and has brought her career total to five while moving into a tie with Caitlin Beahm for second on the program's list of all-time game-winning goals with three.

MILESTONE HUNTING • BLACKWELL
Mackenzie Blackwell is the program's career leader in nine categories, including goals (165), hat tricks (34), game-winning goals (six), free-position goals (27), woman-up goals (37), points (184), shots (353), shots on goal (257), and draw controls (247) through the game played at Oregon (Feb. 22). The only player in program history to reach 100 and 150 goals and the first of two to reach 100 points, Blackwell is nearing another stellar milestone as she needs just three draw control wins to reach 250. Additionally, she is chasing 200 career points as she needs just 16 more to reach the milestone.

MORE THAN HATS
To reach her goals and points totals, Mackenzie Blackwell has scored goals in bunches for the Eagles throughout her career. Blackwell has played in all 55 games in program history and has scored at least one goal in 87.3 percent of the games she has played with 78.2 percent of her games ending with multiple goals. Here is how she has fared throughout her career:
» 1+ goals: 48-of-55 games (.873 percent)
» 2+ goals: 43-of-55 games (.782)
» 3+ goals: 34-of-55 games (.618)
» 4+ goals: 21-of-55 games (.382)
» 5+ goals: 9-of-55 games (.164)

MORE MILESTONES AHEAD
A handful of Eagle are approaching career milestones as well as several look to reach new heights in goals, points, and caused turnovers. Here is who is moving closer to higher marks:
» Goals: Abby Alderman has tallied 48 goals in her career and needs two more to become only the fourth player in EMU history to reach 50.
» Points: Three Eagles are approaching 50 career points with Katheryn Wilson at 46, Emerson Henry at 44, and Kelsea Dague at 43. The trio currently ranks seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively, on the program's top 10 ledger.
» Caused Turnovers: Annika Wozney, who has started on defense in all 55 of EMU's games, has collected 42 caused turnovers, leaving her eight away from becoming just the second player to reach 50 and nine away from tying Sydney Lawrence (2023-24) for the record (51).

A CAUSED (TURNOVER) FOR CELEBRATION
In the game with Lindenwood and Xavier, the Eagles were disruptive as the team has tallied 27 caused turnovers in those games. It started with 13 against Lindenwood (Feb. 11), then tied for the sixth-highest total in a single game in program history before being bumped one spot following the game with Xavier (Feb. 14) where EMU recorded 14, which tied for the third-highest. Overall, 11 Eagles recorded at least one caused turnover while five tallied at least four, including five from Karly Low and four each from Erin Humphrey, Payton Bloedow, and Maddy Porter. Against Canisius, Low and Haley Hodak continued their disruptive play as they both recorded two caused turnovers while adding two ground balls each to mark the third consecutive game both have tallied at least two in both categories.

AHOY, CAPTAINS!
Five Eagles were selected as team captains for the 2026 season. The captains include Mackenzie Blackwell, Samantha Borgert, Kelsea Dague, Maddy Porter, and Annika Wozney.

DEFENDING HOME TURF
The Eagles played three home games in seven days and emerged with a perfect 3-0 record. The three consecutive wins broke the record for best home start after the 2024 team opened at 2-0 before falling to visiting No. 5 Michigan (20-4). Eastern will look to extend its home winning streak March 8 when Cincinnati comes to town.

HOME STREAKING
With the win over Xavier (Feb. 14), the Eagles recorded their third consecutive home win to tie the record set twice previously and just once prior in the same season. The first streak began with the final game of the 2023 season, a 17-12 defeat of Detroit Mercy, and continued through the first two home games of 2024, which included a 15-8 win over Butler and 12-11 defeat of Kent State. Last year, the Eagles won three in a row at home with wins over Canisius (12-10), Youngstown State (19-6), and Detroit Mercy (13-8).

ADDING TO THE STREAK?
While Eastern will have to wait until March to try and extend its home winning streak, it can tie the record for consecutive wins overall with a victory at Canisius. A win for the Eagles over the Golden Griffins would give Eastern four consecutive wins for just the second time in program history after the 2025 squad set the mark. After starting the year 0-2, the Eagles went on the road and defeated Presbyterian (19-10) and Gardner-Webb (16-6) before returning home to hand Canisius a 12-10 setback. The streak concluded with a 10-4 win at Butler as the Eagles fell at Cincinnati two days later, 13-9.

ON THE HORIZON
Eastern Michigan remains in the Volunteer State for its fourth and final game of its four-game road trip when the Eagles head to Nashville, Tenn., to face the Commodores of Vanderbilt University, March 4, in a 12 p.m. CT (1 p.m. ET) game. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+.

FOLLOW US
For all things EMU Lacrosse, be sure to check out the team's social media accounts, including EMU_Lacrosse on X (formerly Twitter) and EMU_Lacrosse on Instagram.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Alderman

Caitlin Beahm

Mackenzie Blackwell

Payton Bloedow

Samantha Borgert

Kelsea Dague

Tracy Grollman

Emerson Henry

Haley Hodak

Erin Humphrey

Karly Low

Maddy Porter

Avery Schwab

Katheryn Wilson

Annika Wozney

Eastern Michigan Athletics