Colavito Headlines Three Lady Flames Featured on Preseason All-ASUN Team
1/28/2025 10:48:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Liberty midfielder Katie Colavito was named the Preseason Midfielder of the Year with attacker Mackenzie Lehman and defender Madeleine Klunder featured on the All-ASUN Preseason team, the conference announced Tuesday. Liberty was selected to finish third (one first place vote) in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll, finishing with 36 points.
The third place selection ends a run of five consecutive season finishing with a second place finish in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lady Flames trailed preseason favorite and defending ASUN champion Coastal Carolina (43 points, four first-place votes) and Jacksonville (41 points, one first-place vote). Coastal Carolina marks the first different team to lead the coaches poll after Jacksonville was selected as the preseason favorite the past seven years.
Colavito, a junior, shined for the Lady Flames last season, headlined by a selection to the ASUN All-Conference second team and the ASUN All-Tournament Team. The Wake Forest, N.C. native tallied the second-most goals (32) and third-most points (37) on Liberty's 2024 squad.
The midfielder led the Lady Flames with 55 draw controls, ranked second on the team and the ASUN with 36 caused turnovers and was second among Lady Flames and fifth in the ASUN with 40 ground balls. Nationally, she ranked No. 16 with 2.00 caused turnovers per game and No. 75 with 2.22 ground balls per game.
Colavito is the sixth player in program history to earn a selection as a preseason player of the year. Mackenzie Lehman (Midfielder of the Year) and Cami Merkel (Player of the Year) were each selected as preseason players of the year prior to the 2024 season.
Lehman, who is converting to an attacker this year, is returning to the Lady Flames for a fifth season after she suffered a season-ending injury on March 11, 2024. In seven games last season, Lehman tallied 18 goals and five assists along with 30 draw controls, 19 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. Multiple season averages led the team including 2.5 goals per game, 3.29 points per game, 4.29 draw controls per game, 2.17 ground balls per game and 2.43 caused turnovers per game.
The fifth-year senior is no stranger to ASUN accolades. Including the previously mentioned 2024 Preseason Player of the Year, Lehman has been named to two ASUN All-
Conference first teams and the 2023 ASUN All-Tournament team.
Klunder, a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-ASUN team, starred for a Liberty defense that ranked among the best in the country last season. The redshirt junior tallied a team and ASUN-leading 50 ground balls and was third on Liberty and in the ASUN with 35 caused turnovers. The defender ranked No. 22 in the country with 1.94 caused turnovers per game and No. 24 in the country with 2.78 ground balls per game.
Liberty's defense led the country with 15.89 caused turnovers per game and ranked third nationally with 22.33 ground balls per game.
The Lady Flames look to improve on a 6-12 record in 2024 that saw Liberty ousted in the semifinal round of the ASUN Women's Lacrosse Championship after a 10-9 loss to Jacksonville.
Liberty opens the 2025 season on the road, taking on No. 10 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m.
2025 Atlantic Sun Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Kayleen Favreau, Queens
Preseason Midfielder of the Year: Katie Colavito, Liberty
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kaila Stasulli, Jacksonville
Preseason All-ASUN Team
A - Kayleen Favreau, Queens^
A - Sydney McClure, Coastal Carolina
A - Ainsley Scruggs, Jacksonville
A - Mackenzie Lehman, Liberty
MF - Evelyn Kitchin, Coastal Carolina
MF - Shannon Harrington, Kennesaw State
MF - Katie Colavito, Liberty
MF - Elise Grissett, Queens
D - Kaila Stasulli, Jacksonville^
D - Madeleine Klunder, Liberty^
D - Maggie Cuddy, Jacksonville
GK - Charlotte Sandler, Coastal Carolina^
^ - denotes a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-ASUN Team
Preseason Coaches Poll
Pl. Team (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Coastal Carolina (4) 43
2. Jacksonville (1) 41
3. Liberty (1) 36
4. Lindenwood 24
4. Queens 24
6. Stetson (1) 15
7. Kennesaw State 13
The third place selection ends a run of five consecutive season finishing with a second place finish in the ASUN Preseason Coaches Poll. The Lady Flames trailed preseason favorite and defending ASUN champion Coastal Carolina (43 points, four first-place votes) and Jacksonville (41 points, one first-place vote). Coastal Carolina marks the first different team to lead the coaches poll after Jacksonville was selected as the preseason favorite the past seven years.
Colavito, a junior, shined for the Lady Flames last season, headlined by a selection to the ASUN All-Conference second team and the ASUN All-Tournament Team. The Wake Forest, N.C. native tallied the second-most goals (32) and third-most points (37) on Liberty's 2024 squad.
The midfielder led the Lady Flames with 55 draw controls, ranked second on the team and the ASUN with 36 caused turnovers and was second among Lady Flames and fifth in the ASUN with 40 ground balls. Nationally, she ranked No. 16 with 2.00 caused turnovers per game and No. 75 with 2.22 ground balls per game.
Colavito is the sixth player in program history to earn a selection as a preseason player of the year. Mackenzie Lehman (Midfielder of the Year) and Cami Merkel (Player of the Year) were each selected as preseason players of the year prior to the 2024 season.
Lehman, who is converting to an attacker this year, is returning to the Lady Flames for a fifth season after she suffered a season-ending injury on March 11, 2024. In seven games last season, Lehman tallied 18 goals and five assists along with 30 draw controls, 19 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. Multiple season averages led the team including 2.5 goals per game, 3.29 points per game, 4.29 draw controls per game, 2.17 ground balls per game and 2.43 caused turnovers per game.
The fifth-year senior is no stranger to ASUN accolades. Including the previously mentioned 2024 Preseason Player of the Year, Lehman has been named to two ASUN All-
Conference first teams and the 2023 ASUN All-Tournament team.
Klunder, a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-ASUN team, starred for a Liberty defense that ranked among the best in the country last season. The redshirt junior tallied a team and ASUN-leading 50 ground balls and was third on Liberty and in the ASUN with 35 caused turnovers. The defender ranked No. 22 in the country with 1.94 caused turnovers per game and No. 24 in the country with 2.78 ground balls per game.
Liberty's defense led the country with 15.89 caused turnovers per game and ranked third nationally with 22.33 ground balls per game.
The Lady Flames look to improve on a 6-12 record in 2024 that saw Liberty ousted in the semifinal round of the ASUN Women's Lacrosse Championship after a 10-9 loss to Jacksonville.
Liberty opens the 2025 season on the road, taking on No. 10 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va. on Feb. 7 at 4 p.m.
2025 Atlantic Sun Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Kayleen Favreau, Queens
Preseason Midfielder of the Year: Katie Colavito, Liberty
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Kaila Stasulli, Jacksonville
Preseason All-ASUN Team
A - Kayleen Favreau, Queens^
A - Sydney McClure, Coastal Carolina
A - Ainsley Scruggs, Jacksonville
A - Mackenzie Lehman, Liberty
MF - Evelyn Kitchin, Coastal Carolina
MF - Shannon Harrington, Kennesaw State
MF - Katie Colavito, Liberty
MF - Elise Grissett, Queens
D - Kaila Stasulli, Jacksonville^
D - Madeleine Klunder, Liberty^
D - Maggie Cuddy, Jacksonville
GK - Charlotte Sandler, Coastal Carolina^
^ - denotes a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-ASUN Team
Preseason Coaches Poll
Pl. Team (1st Place Votes) Points
1. Coastal Carolina (4) 43
2. Jacksonville (1) 41
3. Liberty (1) 36
4. Lindenwood 24
4. Queens 24
6. Stetson (1) 15
7. Kennesaw State 13
Players Mentioned
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