Michigan
Akron
Michigan to Travel to Evanston to Take on Akron in First Round of NCAA Tournament
5/6/2025 2:35:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan women's lacrosse team (12-6) claimed its fourth straight NCAA Tournament bid and will travel to Evanston, Ill., to the campus of Northwestern for the first and second rounds of the tournament.
The Wolverines will take on Akron (11-7) at 2 p.m. CT on Friday (May 9) at Martin Stadium. If U-M wins its first-round game against the Zips, it will play No. 3 Northwestern (16-2) in the second round on Sunday (May 11) at 2 p.m. CT.
Notes
• Michigan is making its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance. The Wolverines hosted the first and second rounds in 2019 and earned first-round victories from 2022-24. U-M made its first NCAA quarterfinal appearance in 2024 when it defeated then-No. 4 Notre Dame in the second round on a last-second goal from Jill Smith.
• U-M ranks seventh nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 8.89 goals per game. The backline has forced 248 turnovers with Grace Callahan ranking seventh in the Big Ten with 23 caused turnovers.
• Senior Erin O'Grady was named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year for the second consecutive year to become the first Michigan player to receive a Big Ten Player of the Year award twice in her career. She also is a two-time All-Big Ten first-team honoree and a two-time Tewaaraton Award nominee. O'Grady's 10 wins and .540 save percentage lead the Big Ten, with the latter ranking second in the nation. She has 11 games with double-digit saves, including six straight contests with 10 stops or more. She made a career-high 14 saves against Colorado and recorded 13 saves at Denver this season.
O'Grady is the third goalie in program history with more than 300 stops, with her 334 saves ranking third all-time in Michigan annals. A win against Akron would be the 25th of her career, which would break a tie with Mira Shane for the most in program history. O'Grady is the second U-M goalie to win 20 career games, and she owns the Michigan single-season wins record with 14 in 2024.
• Against USC in the Big Ten Tournament, Smith collected 10 points (eight goals, two assists) to set the single-game conference tournament and Michigan records. Her eight goals tied for third in Big Ten Tournament history and set the single-game Michigan standard.
• Senior Kaylee Dyer broke the Michigan single-game assists record with six against the Trojans and added two goals for eight total points. Her six helpers ran her total to 29, surpassing the old mark of 25 set by Caroline Davis in 2024.
• On the draw, freshman Emma Burke won 12 against USC, eclipsing the previous U-M single-season mark of 114 (Lily Montemarano, 2024). Burke finished the tournament with eight draws against Maryland and heads into the NCAA Tournament with 128 draw wins to rank seventh all-time in Michigan annals. She ranks 18th nationally with 7.53 draw-control wins per game. Burke also set a single-game program record in just her third career outing with 17 draw-control wins.
• Graduate student Ava Class, seniors Smith and O'Grady and junior Callahan were named to the All-Big Ten first team, while Burke, Dyer and Julia Schwabe earned second-team honors. Burke and Caroline Byrd notched all-freshman team accolades. The eight honorees are the most in program history, surpassing the previous program-best of seven in 2024.
