Akron Visits Butler

Wednesday, February 18

Indianapolis, Ind.

1:00 PM

University of Akron

Butler

February 17 | Women's Lacrosse

AKRON, Ohio - The University of Akron lacrosse team travels to Indianapolis, Ind., for a 1 p.m. non-conference showdown at Butler on Wednesday (Feb. 18).

ZIPS NAME TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2026:
The Akron senior duo of Katie Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) and Sarah Baumer (Rochester, N.Y.) will serve as the Zips' captains for the 2026 campaign.

SCOUTING AKRON:
Junior Sienna Hinchcliffe (Rochester, N.Y.) leads the Zips in goals (8), points (11), shots (16), shots on goal (12), ground balls (9) and draw controls (5), while ranking second in assists (3) and caused turnovers (3). Katie Baumer is tied with Hinchcliffe for the team lead in goals (8). Junior Kaitlyn Sikorski (Plymouth, Minn.) paces the squad in assists (6). Seniors Heather Carey (Williamsville, N.Y.) and junior Kellen Fletcher (Valencia, Pa.) rank third on the squad in goals netting four apiece. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Adrianna Califano (Bellmore, N.Y.) has registered 11 saves and owns a 7.50 goals against average.

SCOUTING BUTLER:
Akron is meeting Butler for the third time in program history. The Bulldogs are 1-1 on the campaign following a 12-8 setback at Eastern Michigan on Feb. 8. Senior Elise Latham leads the squad in goals (9), points (10), shots (13) and shots on goal (12). Freshman goalkeeper Samantha Wilson has collected 13 saves and four ground balls on the campaign en route to posting a 12.50 goals against average. Butler is led by fourth-year head coach Maggie Zentgraf, who owns an 8-39 ledger as a head coach for the Bulldogs and is 28-51 in six seasons overall as a head coach.

IN OUR LAST MEETING (MARCH 2, 2025 – AKRON, OHIO):
Noelle Boyd, Jaelyn Clinkscales and Sienna Hinchcliffe combined to score seven goals to propel the Zips to an 11-5 triumph past Butler on March 2, 2025, at the Stile Athletics Field House.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Hinchcliffe directed the Zips with a game-high three goals, while Boyd and Clinkscales each registered a pair of tallies.
• Katie Baumer, Heather Carey and Kellen Fletcher along with sophomore Julia Mattingly (Leonardtown, Md.) added a goal apiece.
• Baumer, Clinkscales and Mattingly directed Akron with two assists each, while also collecting assists was Fletcher and Kaitlyn Sikorski.
• Hinchcliffe posted a game-high 10 shots, including six on goal, while Baumer, Boyd and Clinkscales added four shots apiece.
• Boyd garnered eight draw controls, while Baumer netted two caused turnovers.
• Goalkeeper Hannah Sanders recorded 11 saves in net for Akron.

AKRON PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN MAC PRESEASON POLL:
The Mid-American Conference announced the 2026 Preseason Coaches' Poll on Wednesday (Feb. 4) as Akron was selected by the league's women's lacrosse coaches to finish second this season.

Conference newcomer Massachusetts (48 points, 6 first-place votes) was tabbed to capture the regular and postseason championships followed by Akron (37 points), Eastern Michigan (37), Robert Morris (34, 1 first-place vote), Central Michigan (28), Kent State (19), Youngstown State (12) and Detroit Mercy (9).

AKRON TRIUMPHS PAST LINDENWOOD:
Directed by a four-goal and two-assist performance from Katie Baumer Akron moved to 2-0 for the first time in program history on the strength of an 11-9 triumph past Lindenwood on Saturday (Feb. 14) at the Stile Athletics Field House.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Akron garnered a game-high four goals and two assists from Baumer.
• Adding three goals, including her 100th career tally in the opening quarter, was Sienna Hinchcliffe.
• Additionally, tallying one goal apiece were Heather Carey, Kellen Fletcher, Kaitlyn Sikorski and freshman Savannah Hinchcliffe (Rochester, N.Y.), who scored her first career goal.
• Goalkeeper Adrianna Califano (Bellmore, N.Y.) turned in another stout defensive effort for Akron with a team-high six saves.
• Sikorski dished out a game-high three assists for the Zips. Adding two, one and one assist, respectively, was Baumer, Fletcher and Julia Mattingly.
• Hinchcliffe posted a team-high five ground balls, while Baumer corralled a team-best two draw controls.
• Carey led Akron with a game-high four caused turnovers.
• Recording six shots each was Hinchcliffe and Baumer.

ZIPS CAPTURE MAC TOURNAMENT TITLE:
A golden goal from Jaelyn Clinkscales with 14 seconds remaining in overtime propelled the Akron lacrosse team to its first ever Mid-American Conference Tournament title and NCAA Tournament berth with a come-from-behind 11-10 victory over Robert Morris in the league's title match on May 3, 2025, in Moon Township, Pa.

Picked to finish last in the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Zips overcame a five-goal second-half deficit to force and overtime and set the stage for Clinkscales' game-winning goal in overtime.

AKRON EARNS FIRST EVER MAC REGULAR SEASON TITLE:
With its 14-12 come-from-behind victory over Robert Morris on April 27, 2025, the Zips earned a share of their first-ever Mid-American Conference regular season title.

FOUR ZIPS AND HEAD COACH ELAINE JONES GARNER ALL-MAC ACCOLADES:
Akron garnered a program-record four All-Mid-American Conference selections when the league unveiled its 2025 award winners in a vote of the league coaches.

Akron head coach Elaine Jones was recognized as the league's Coach of the Year as she led the Zips to their first ever MAC Regular Season title after the squad was picked to finish last in the preseason coaches' poll.

Noelle Boyd and Sienna Hinchcliffe headlined the Zips' award winners as the duo was selected as First-Team All-MAC honorees.

Pulling in Second-Team All-MAC laurels was Katie Baumer. Additionally, Julia Mattingly was tabbed to the MAC All-Freshman team.

AKRON NOTES:
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is atop the career list at Akron in goals, points, shots and shots on goal per game and woman-up goals, while rating second in assists per contest and third in total points, goals, assists, shots, shots on goal and draw controls per tilt.
• Katie Baumer is three caused turnovers (58) away from supplanting Jenna Ridener atop Akron's career list. Additionally, she is rated third at Akron caused turnovers, draw controls per contest and draw controls, fourth in caused turnovers per match and fifth in career assists and points.
• Sienna Hinchcliffe supplanted Alexis Kiefer as the single season record holder for goals in program history with a career-best six-goal effort against Robert Morris (April 27). She finished the campaign with 59 goals last season.
• Sienna Hinchcliffe set the single-season record for points (73), shots (142) and shots on goal (106), while Noelle Boyd owns the top single-season mark for assists (26) and Hannah Sanders for saves (144) and wins (11).
• Noelle Boyd surpassed Alexis Kiefer atop the career list for shots versus Robert Morris (April 27) having amassed 331 shots, while moving atop the list for shots on goal with 254 shots on goal against Eastern Michigan (April 20). Additionally, she started a program record 69 games.

IN THE LATEST MAC RANKINGS:
• Akron leads the Mid-American Conference in goals against average (7.79) and ground balls (24.00), while rating third in assists (7.00), goals (14.00), points per game (21.00), shots per contest (29.00) and shots on goal (21.00).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe is first in the conference in points per outing (5.50) and ground balls (4.50), third in goals per game (4.00) and shots (8.00*) and seventh in assists (1.50).
• Katie Baumer is third in points (5.00) and goals per game (4.00) and seventh in shots (6.50), while Kellen Fletcher is fourth in ground balls (3.00) and Heather Carey is second in caused turnovers (2.50).
• Adrianna Califano is first in goals against average (7.79), fifth in save percentage (.423) and seventh in saves (5.50)
• Additionally, Kaitlyn Sikorski is first in assists per match (3.00).
• A year ago, in league-only action, Noelle Boyd finished first in points per match (4.67), third in goals per game (3.00) and assists per tilt (1.67) and seventh in ground balls (3.17) and shots per contest (6.17). Hinchcliffe was second in shots per contest (8.67) and goals per game (3.33) and sixth in draw controls (4.83) and in points per match (4.00). Baumer was third in caused turnovers (1.83), fourth in draw controls (5.83) and ninth in points per match (3.00), while Hannah Sanders was sixth in goals against average (11.17) and in saves per game (8.17) and eighth in save percentage (.422).

ZIPS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS:
• Adrianna Califano is second in the NCAA 20th in goals against average (7.50), while Katie Baumer is ranked 13th in goals (4.00), 24th in points (5.00), 31st in shots on goal (5.50), 41st in total goals (8) and 46th in free position percentage (.750). Additionally, Kaitlyn Sikorski is 12th in assists (3.00) and 25th in total assists (6).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe rated first in the NCAA in free position percentage (1.000), ninth in ground balls (4.50), 10th in shots on goal (6.00), 13th in goals per game (4.00), 14th in shots (8.00), 17th in points per match (5.50), 25th in free position goals (1.00), 41st in total goals (8) and 47th in total points (11).
• Akron ranked first in the NCAA in winning percentage (1.000), third in ground balls (23.50), 19th in scoring margin (6.50), 20th in scoring defense (7.50), 25th in assists (7.00), 27th in shot percentage (.483), 28th in free position percentage (.556), 29th in points (21.00) and scoring offense (14.00) and 43rd in shots (29.00) and shots on goal (21.00).
• Sienna Hinchcliffe ranks 16th among active NCAA D1 leaders in points per game (3.57), 19th in goals per outing (2.76) and 29th in total goals (102), while Katie Baumer is rated 31st in caused turnovers (1.12), 40th in draw controls (2.85) and 47th in ground balls (77).

UP NEXT:
Akron hosts Canisius at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday (Feb. 21) at the Stile Athletics Field House.