Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Lacrosse 2024: A To Z
February 15, 2024 | Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse
The 2024 Princeton lacrosse seasons get underway Saturday, as the women are at Virginia and the men are at Monmouth. Both games start at noon. Before then, here is everything you need to know about Princeton Lacrosse for the 2024 season.
First, some links to get you started:
Princeton Women's Lacrosse Season Outlook
Princeton Men's Lacrosse Season Outlook
Jenn Cook/Matt Madalon Week 1 Podcasts
Women's Schedule
Men's Schedule
Women's Roster
Men's Roster
Women's X Feed (In-Game Updates)
Men's X Feed (In-Game Updates)
Women at Virginia Live Video / Live Stats
Men at Monmouth Live Video / Live Stats
And here is Princeton Lacrosse 2024 A To Z:
A – Away
Princeton’s men will play 13 regular season games, of which five will be at home and eight will on the road. Princeton has a four-game stretch from Feb. 24-March 10 that will see games at Maryland, at North Carolina, at Duke and at Rutgers.
B – Blake/Buonanno
Kari Buonanno (48) and McKenzie Blake (47) ranked 1-2 on the women’s team in points a year ago, and both have started every game of their careers. Buonanno, a first-team All-Ivy and second-team All-Region selection a year ago, enters her senior year with 104 career points; Blake has 75 goals as she enters her junior year.
C – Captains
Both teams have three captains for 2024. For the women, that’s Kari Buonanno, Caroline Burnett and Grace Tauckus; on the men’s side, it’s Pace Billings, Michael Gianforcaro and Bear Lockshin.
D – Defense
Between the men’s and women’s teams, there are five returning defensive starters: Caroline Burnett, Sammy Filippi, Sam Whiting, Pace Billings, Colin Mulshine.
E – Every
There are two players who have started every game Princeton has played since they arrived, and they are both women: Amelia Hughes and Sammy Filippi. Princeton has three women (Hughes, Filippi and Kari Buonanno) and two men (Coulter Mackesy and Colin Mulshine) who started every game Princeton played in 2023.
F – Freer
Senior defenseman Colin Freer is president of the Princeton chapter of “Best Buddies,” which, according to the organization’s website: “is an international nonprofit organization that aims to bring people with and without intellectual disabilities together to form friendships and have fun. The Princeton chapter hosts monthly on campus events at which community members with intellectual disabilities and Princeton students hang out and participate in fun activities like dance workshops, craft making and baking, and attending Princeton athletic events. Princeton students can also opt to be paired into a one-on-one friendship with a Buddy.”
G – Goalies
Both teams return their starters from last year, and both were second-team All-Ivy League selections. Amelia Hughes on the women’s side is back for her sophomore year after starting every game a year ago, while Michael Gianforcaro enters his senior year after being the Most Outstanding Player as Princeton won the Ivy League tournament a year ago.
H – Home
Sherrerd Field at Class of 1952 Stadium is the home field for the Princeton men’s and women’s lacrosse teams. This season, it will host 12 games, five by the men and seven by the women. Both teams will play at home on April 20, when the women take on Dartmouth at noon and the men play Penn at 5.
I – Ivy League
Princeton’s women were picked second in the Ivy League preseason media poll. The Princeton men, who won the Ivy tournament last year, were picked third.
J – Jenn
Jenn Cook enters Year 2 as the head coach of the women’s team. Cook is only the fourth head coach in the history of the program, after Penny Hinckley, Betty Logan and Chris Sailer.
K – Kistler
Cooper Kistler made a big impact last year during the second half of his freshman season as a longstick midfielder. As a sophomore, Kistler could play LSM or close defense.
L – Let’s go
The Princeton women open the season at Virginia Saturday at noon. The men open their season at Monmouth at noon.
M – Mueller
Both teams will have a Mueller sibling on the roster this season. Ellie Mueller returns for the women after a knee injury caused her to miss half of last season, and her brother Cooper Mueller is a freshman shortstick defensive midfielder for the men’s team. If the last name is familiar, their father Kit was the 1990 and 1991 Ivy League men’s basketball player as a Princeton center.
N – Nina
Nina Montes, who has mostly come off the bench in her first two seasons, will push for a starting spot this time around. Montes is an explosive player who has more goals (38) than games played (32) in her first two seasons. How many other current Princeton lacrosse players can say they have more goals than games played? For the women, it’s Kari Buonanno (70G in 35 games), McKenzie Blake (75G in 34 games), Jami MacDonald (24G in 16 games) and Grace Tauckus (93 goals in 40 games). For the men, it’s Coulter Mackesy (83G in 31 games).
O- Offense
Princeton scored 434 goals last year (223 for the women, 211 for the men). Of those 434 goals, a total of 311 were scored by players who return this season (118 for the men, 193 for the women). The only women’s player to graduate who scored at least one goal last year was Kate Mulham, who scored 30. The men graduated six players who scored at least one last year, including the second, third and fourth best totals on the team.
P – Postseason
The Princeton men have reached the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons, going to the Final Four in 2022 and then falling 13-12 to Penn State in the first round last year after winning the Ivy tournament.
Q – Quez
Marquez White, known as “Quez,” has been a first line SSDM his entire career. He is now Princeton’s No. 1 player at the position, though the Tigers are extremely deep there, with returnees Paul Weathington Jr., Liam Fairback, Michael Kelly, Joe Juengerkes and Teddy Gutman and newcomer Cooper Mueller all vying for minutes.
R – Rules
There are significant rules changes for both men’s and women’s lacrosse for the 2024 season. On the women’s side, among others there are now one-minute releasable penalties for infractions such as blocking/illegal pick, charging, cross check, forcing through, holding, illegal use of stick, pushing, tripping and defensive offsides. For the men, the whistle will blow immediately if a player loses his helmet, resulting in a technical foul and the requirement of the player in question to leave the field until the next stoppage of play. There is also expanded use of replay, though this is not a required rule.
S - Seniors
There are 22 senior lacrosse players this year (nine for the women, 13 for the men).
T – Tauckus
Grace Tauckus has played 40 career games. She has two or more goals in 28 of those games and at least one goal in 39 of 40.
U – Unmatched
Coulter Mackesy had 55 goals and 23 assists last year, becoming the first player in program history with at least 50 goals and 20 assists in a season. Mackesy set the Princeton men’s single-season record for goals in a season, and he enters his junior with 83 goals, putting him ahead of the pace for the school career record of 163.
V – Victorious
The 2024 season marks the 30th anniversary of when Princeton became the first school to win both the men’s and women’s lacrosse NCAA championship in the same year. It was the first of three NCAA titles for the women and second of six for the men.
W – Whiteway
Sophie Whiteway has 108 career draw controls through two seasons. The Princeton career record is 214 (Marge Donovan ’22), meaning Whiteway is on pace to break the record. She’s already in ninth place on the career list as she enters her junior year.
X – The Face-off X
Princeton has not had a better-than .500 season at the face-off X since 2012. Now, with experience at depth with Andrew McMeekin, Tyler Sandoval and Koby Ginder, as well as a former face-off specialist (Casey Dowd) as an assistant coach, Princeton has as much optimism at the X as it has in years.
Y - Youngsters
The women’s team has two players who are Inside Lacrosse top 100 incoming freshmen: Meg Mossisroe and Colette Quinn. The men’s team has the No. 1 freshman class in the country according to the same magazine, and two of those freshmen figure to be starters on attack (Nate Kabiri/Colin Burns).
Z – ZZZ
Don’t sleep on a few sophomores who played supporting roles last year but who could be on their way to having breakout seasons in 2024. For the women, there’s Haven Dora, Abigail Roberts, Dylan Allen and Lane Calkins. For the men, there’s John Dunphey, Nick Crowley, Chad Palumbo, Quinn Krammer, Jackson Kane and Zach Friedman
