SETTING THE STAGE: The Holy Cross women's lacrosse team will open competition in the 2026 Patriot League Tournament when it plays at Bucknell in a quarterfinal round game on Sunday, April 26, at 1 p.m. The Crusaders are the No. 5 seed in the tournament, while the Bison are seeded fourth. The winner of the Holy Cross-Bucknell game will face either No. 1 seed Navy or No. 2 seed Army West Point in the semifinals on Thursday, April 30, in Annapolis, Md. The championship game will follow on Saturday, May 2, at 3:30 p.m.

HOLY CROSS IN THE PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: The Crusaders will be making their 14th appearance in the Patriot League Tournament and have an all-time mark of 11-11 in tournament play. Holy Cross won the Patriot League title in both 2006 and 2007 and has advanced to the championship game in six of its 13 previous tournament appearances. The Crusaders have faced the Bison in the postseason just once before, winning 13-7 at home in the 2006 semifinals. Holy Cross also owns a 3-3 all-time record in the quarterfinal round, while standing 0-10 in true road games.

THE SERIES WITH BUCKNELL: The Crusaders hold an 18-17 lead in the all-time series between the schools, which began in 1991. Holy Cross had won six straight games against the Bison, before Bucknell won 12-11 in Worcester earlier this month. The Bison own a 10-7 edge for games played in Lewisburg, but the Crusaders have won on their last three visits. 

LEVY-SMITH ENJOYING STELLAR SENIOR SEASON: Senior Racheli Levy-Smith has been a force for Holy Cross on both defense and draws this year. Levy-Smith currently leads the team with 170 draw controls, 39 caused turnovers and 39 ground balls. Her 170 draw controls are just one shy of the school single-season record, which she set herself with 171 in 2025. In addition, Levy-Smith's 39 caused turnovers are the third-highest single-season total in program history. She has been named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week six times this year, tying the conference record. Over the course of her collegiate career, Levy-Smith has totaled 454 draw controls, 109 ground balls and 86 caused turnovers in 60 games played. She currently ranks first all-time at Holy Cross in draw controls and third in caused turnovers.

AVITABILE SETS UP THE OFFENSE: Junior Kate Avitabile has been the leading scorer for the Crusaders this year, totaling 59 points on 10 goals and 49 assists. Her 49 assists are the third-highest single-season total in program history, standing just three shy of Isabela Miller's school record (52 in 2025). Avitabile tallied a career-high eight points on one goal and a school single-game record seven assists at Lafayette, while totaling two goals and five assists for seven points in the win over Loyola. Throughout her collegiate career, Avitabile now has 101 points on 26 goals and 75 assists. She ranks fourth all-time at Holy Cross in career assists, and is the 27th player in program history with at least 100 career points.

CEPIEL KEEPS FINDING THE NET: Sophomore Hadley Cepiel has been one of the Crusaders' top scorers this season, totaling 49 points on a team-high 40 goals and nine assists. She recorded a career-high eight points on six goals and two assists against Stonehill, while posting six points on three goals and three assists against Boston University. Cepiel has scored at least one goal in 15 of 16 games this season, including 12 multi-goal games. Over the course of her Crusader career, she has now totaled 52 points on 42 goals and 10 assists in 21 games played. 

BRENNAN PLAYS KEY ROLE IN MIDFIELD: Junior Annabel Brennan has been one of the Crusaders' top players in the midfield this year. She ranks fourth on the team in scoring with 26 points on 23 goals and three assists, in addition to recording 24 ground balls, 19 draw controls, and 12 caused turnovers. Brennan tallied five points on four goals and one assist against Stonehill, while recording three goals and one assist for four points against Loyola. During her collegiate career, she now has 80 points on 71 goals and nine assists, to go along with 62 draw controls and 56 ground balls.

CREAGH STANDS TALL IN GOAL: Senior Mackenzie Creagh has been a strong presence in goal for the Crusaders this year. She currently owns a 7-9 record with 137 saves, a .410 save percentage and a 12.67 goals against average. Creagh has reached double-digits in saves seven times this year, including a season-high 14 saves at Army and 12 saves against Boston University. Last year, she made a Patriot League Tournament single-game record 19 saves against Colgate in the quarterfinals. Over the course of her Holy Cross career, Creagh now stands 20-18 with 347 saves, a .421 save percentage and a 12.54 goals against average. She ranks fifth all-time at Holy Cross in victories and ninth in saves.

RIDER STEPS UP ON OFFENSE: Senior Tory Rider currently ranks third on the team in scoring with 32 points on 25 goals and seven assists. She has been particularly effective over the last month, totaling 18 goals and two assists for 20 points over the last seven games. Rider scored a career-high five goals against Bucknell, while scoring four times in the victory over Loyola. Throughout her collegiate career, she now has 92 points on 62 goals and 30 assists in 67 games played.

THE CAPTAINS: Senior Racheli Levy-Smith and junior Annabel Brennan are serving as the Crusaders' captains this season.

LAST MEETING WITH BUCKNELL: Tory Rider scored a career-high five goals, but the Crusaders were defeated by Bucknell 12-11 at Kuzniewski Field on April 4, 2026. Holy Cross opened the game with an early 2-0 lead, before Bucknell scored five of the next six goals to go up 5-3 after one quarter of play. The Crusaders opened the second quarter with four straight goals to reclaim the lead, but the Bison responded once again with a 3-0 run to claim an 8-7 halftime advantage. Bucknell was still up by one (10-9) after the third quarter, before Rider scored back-to-back goals to put Holy Cross in front, 11-10. But Megan Krestinski would score twice for the Bison in the final seven minutes, as Bucknell rallied for the win. Hadley Cepiel finished the game with two goals and one assist, while Kate Avitabile added one goal and four assists. Mackenzie Creagh made nine saves on the afternoon, and Racheli Levy-Smith totaled 16 draw controls, one ground ball and one caused turnover. The Bison were led by Caleigh Cummiskey with four goals and two assists.

SCOUTING THE BISON: Bucknell has an overall record of 9-6 on the season. The Bison finished in a tie with Holy Cross for fourth place in the Patriot League at 5-4, and earned the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament. Senior Megan Krestinski leads the team in scoring with 69 points on 43 goals and 26 assists, while freshman Caleigh Cummiskey has added 45 goals and 15 assist for 60 points. In goal, junior Bella Crowley owns an 11.99 goals against average with 112 saves.

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