GUELPH, Ont. – The Guelph Gryphons women's lacrosse team is set for a new season of OUA women's lacrosse, with the official start to the 2026 campaign getting underway on Sunday, September 13 when they take on the Toronto Varsity Blues and Trent Excalibur in their 2026 season-openers from Waterloo. The Gryphons had an outstanding 2025 campaign, finishing the regular season with a 6-2 record and earning a bronze medal at the 2025 OUA Championships, reaching the podium for the first time since 2013. The 2026 OUA Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament will take place on the campus of Trent University in Peterborough from Oct. 16-18.
"It has been incredibly exciting to see the growth of our women's lacrosse program over the past few years," says Gryphons head coach
Megan Shea, heading into her fourth season leading the University of Guelph women's lacrosse program. "We have a motivated group of athletes who earned every bit of last season's success, and both our returning players and incoming class have continued to work hard throughout the summer. We're looking forward to coming back even stronger this season."
Goalie
First-year goalie Kyra DiGaetano steps into the starting role for the 2026 season. DiGaetano is among eight new faces who arrive to the University of Guelph as part of the 2026 class.
Defence
Maya Gazzola returns for her fifth-year to lead the Gryphons defence. Gazzola, a team captain brings leadership and leads the team's communication from the back. The human kinetics major last season scored 10 goals for the side. McKenna Murray is back with the team for her third season to help solidify the defence. The biomedical science major appeared in all 11 games for the Gryphons last season. Claire Volkes will help support the defence as she heads into her second season with the team, poised to take on a larger role at the back.
Midfield
Kassi Hogan and
Rachel McConvey are back to lead the Gryphon midfield as one of the team captains.
Kassi Hogan enters her second season at U of G after transferring in from St. Bonaventure last season and made an immediate impact on the team. The applied human nutrition major was second on the team in scoring with 25 points while scoring 19 goals. Last season's OUA All-Star brings amazing leadership qualities and is a strong two-way player.
Rachel McConvey, the 2022 OUA All-Star enters her final season with the team. McConvey led the team in 2025 with 27 points while scoring a team-high 24 goals. Ava Briggs arrives at Guelph from St. Catharines and was one of the team's top performers during the team's fitness testing. Riley McCormack has made a seamless transition, impressing in preseason for the Gryphons. McCormack comes from the Toronto Beaches of the JEWL, profiling as defensive midfielder who forces turnovers.
Attack
Tara Meikle joins the Gryphons as a grad transfer, studying her Master's in biology at U of G. Meikle brings a physical element to the left side as she has the ability to read the field well. Meikle scored twice for Queen's, helping them win the OUA Championship back in 2022. Team Rookie of the Year
Sarah Chapman returns for her second season. The psychology major is one of the fastest players on the team as has good placement on her shots, scoring 6 goals last season. Kira De La Plante joins the Gryphon attack as a first-year player from Kawartha of the JEWL.
The Gryphons women's lacrosse team begins regular season play at Ansley Alumni Field from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo on Sunday (Sept. 13), with a 12pm game against the Toronto Varsity Blues, followed by a 3:30pm matchup versus the Trent Exaclibur.
