SOUTH BEND, Ind. – With the start of a new women’s lacrosse season on the horizon, seven individuals have been named Preseason All-American as announced by USA Lacrosse Wednesday afternoon. Kasey Choma and Jackie Wolak were tabbed First Team Preseason All-Americans while Madison Ahern, Lilly Callahan, Kelly Denes, Olivia Dooley and Arden Tierney were named to honorable mentions.
Frist team honorees Choma and Wolak return for their fifth season with the Irish following All-American campaigns last season, including Wolak becoming just the third in program history to eclipse 100 points in a single season. Choma led the team in goals, posting 69 over the course of the season en route to numerous All-American and All-ACC honors at the end of last season.
Ahern, Callahan and Denes all earned All-American recognition for the Irish by USA Lacrosse Magazine at the end of 2023 while Tierney and Dooley were both named honorable mentions for their performances at previous schools.
One of the team’s leading scorers a year ago, Ahern returns to South Bend for her fifth season with the Irish having recorded a multitude of accolades during her senior season including a Tewaaraton nominee and First Team All-ACC.
Callahan, who started all 21 games for the Irish last season was named to the IWLCA Midwest/West All-Region Second Team and earned numerous All-ACC honors for her performance in the cage in 2023.
A draw specialist who led one of the nation’s top performing draw controls throughout the 2023 season, Denes returns for her senior year with All-American nods after earning USA Lacrosse Magazine honorable mention and Second Team All-ACC honors last spring.
Dooley joined the Irish in the off season on the defensive end and was a previous All-American honoree during her career at USC. The 2022 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Dooley is set to make an immediate impact on the back half of the field this season.
A graduate transfer from Richmond and 2023 IWLCA Division I Scholar Athlete of the Year, Tierney will join the Irish as a Preseason All-American honoree on the attack and draw specialist role. Posting 94 points in her final season with the Spiders, Tierney led the team in points and was a nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.
The Irish officially open up their season on Friday, February 9, against the Eastern Michigan Eagles. Irish fans can catch the Irish in action once prior to the start of the season as they scrimmage Michigan next Saturday, January 27, in a matinee game inside Loftus Sports Complex.