Michigan
Penn State
U-M to Host Penn State in Big Ten Quarterfinal Showdown
4/20/2026 7:28:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's lacrosse team (11-5) will open Big Ten Tournament play Wednesday (April 22), hosting No. 18 Penn State (12-5) in a quarterfinal matchup at noon at U-M Lacrosse Stadium. The contest will be streamed on B1G+.
Notes
• Michigan makes its eighth Big Ten Tournament appearance, earning the No. 4 seed with a 5-3 conference record. The Wolverines face No. 5-seeded Penn State, which finished 4-4 in league play. U-M was seeded No. 3 in 2025 and No. 4 in both 2023 and 2024.
• Ranked No. 8 nationally, Michigan has secured six wins over ranked opponents this season, highlighted by its first-ever victory over No. 3 Maryland, along with wins over then-No. 5 Florida and then-No. 6 Boston College. The Wolverines also opened Big Ten play 4-0 for the first time in program history.
• Michigan's backline ranks No. 17 nationally in scoring defense as it gives up just 8.31 goals per game after allowing just four to the high-powered offense of Maryland. Most recently, the defense forced Maryland into 14 turnovers as Taylor Cullen had three caused turnovers and Grace Callahan had two, while the defense forced No. 2 Northwestern into seven turnovers.
• Freshman Elizabeth Johnson made 13 saves against No. 2 Northwestern for her fifth double-digit save effort of the season. Her 13 saves are just two shy of her career-best 15 saves against Notre Dame to start the 2026 campaign. Johnson ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 124 saves this season and third with a .488 save percentage.
• Ava Class and Calli Norris both surpassed 100 career points, becoming the 10th and 11th players in program history to reach the milestone. Class owns 104 points (69 goals, 35 assists), while Norris has 102 (86 goals, 16 assists).
• Sophomore Emma Burke set Michigan's career draw control record with 278 wins, surpassing the previous mark of 239 (Anna Schueler). She ranks 12th nationally with 8.94 draws per game and is second in the Big Ten with 143 this season.
• Callahan needs just four ground balls to tie the Michigan all-time ground balls record of 111 set by Maddie Burns in 2024. Callahan has 21 ground balls so far this season and has recorded 30 ground balls in the last two seasons for the Maize and Blue. The defender also has 77 caused turnovers and needs just three more in the remainder of the season to tie the all-time Michigan record of 80 set by Madeline Dion in 2017. Additionally, Callahan tied a Michigan single-game record with six caused turnovers against Oregon and ranks 11th in the conference in caused turnovers this season.
• With a win, Michigan would advance to face No. 1 seed Northwestern in the semifinals Friday (April 24) at 3 p.m. at U-M Lacrosse Stadium on Big Ten Network. A loss would send the Wolverines to await their NCAA Tournament fate, announced during the selection show Sunday (May 3) on ESPNU.
