UTICA, NY - Following the conclusion of the 2026 Empire 8 Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament, the conference has named its All-Tournament team. The Pioneers, who faced matchups in both the First and Semifinal rounds, had two players receive recognition. The accolades add on to an already-strong 2026 campaign, one of just four in program history to see 11+ wins.

Junior goaltender Makayla Purdy (Shirley, NY/William Floyd) made an appearance on the All-Tournament team, one of just two netminders. She began the Pioneers' run in the tournament in an eight-save, 18-9 win over #5-seeded Hartwick College. The victory gave her the 29th of her career, marking Purdy as the winningest goalie in Utica women's lacrosse history. In the season-closing defeat at St. John Fisher, she made 10 saves in a valiant effort.

Junior midfielder Maria Stuhlman (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) was the sole field player for the orange and blue to make an appearance on the All-Tournament squad. She was a presence all over the field in both tournament matchups, either tying or taking sole possession of the team lead in ground balls, caused turnovers, and draw controls in both games. Against Hartwick, Stuhlman pulled in eight draw controls and four ground balls, while being one of three Pioneers with two caused turnovers. In addition, she scored one goal and assisted another two. At SJF, she chipped in another three points (2g, 1a), while also adding five caused turnovers and ground balls, and pulling in three draw controls.

Both junior standouts and all of Utica women's lacrosse now look ahead to the upcoming 2027 season. Be sure to follow Utica Athletics on social media and check uticapioneers.com for information on the upcoming season as it approaches!