TAMPA, Fla., April 29, 2026 – The University of South Florida women's lacrosse team (11-4, 6-0 American) has earned six American Conference All-Conference selections to go along with Attacker, Midfielder, and Staff of the Year individual awards.
 
Sofia Chepenik (Attack) and Kaitlyn Tartaglione (Midfield) were each named to the First Team for the second consecutive season, with both earning unanimous selections.
 
Chepenik also earned American Conference Attack Player of the Year honors, while Tartaglione was named American Conference Midfielder of the Year.
 
Elise Grissett (Attack), Maggie Newton (Attack), Kali Cleary (Midfield), and Maddie Morris (Defense) were each named to the Second Team.
 
Head Coach Mindy McCord and her staff were named the American Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE ATTACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
AMERICAN CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM ALL-ATTACK (UNANIMOUS)
Sofia Chepenik • A • Jr. • South Florida • Jacksonville, Fla.
Chepenik earned her second consecutive First-Team All-American Conference selection — and second straight unanimous nod — while adding the conference's Attack Player of the Year award in 2026. She finished the season with 45 goals and 15 assists for 60 points, leading the Bulls and ranking among the conference's top scorers. Chepenik recorded 106 shots on the year while also contributing eight caused turnovers. Chepenik surpassed 150 career points and 100 career goals this season, accumulating 100 career points in two seasons as a Bull.
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
AMERICAN CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM ALL-MIDFIELD (UNANIMOUS)
Kaitlyn Tartaglione • M • Sr. • South Florida • Bernardsville, N.J.
Tartaglione capped her USF career by earning her second consecutive First-Team All-American Conference selection, this time unanimously. She also claimed the conference's Midfielder of the Year award in her senior season. She posted 22 goals and three assists for 25 points while tallying 19 ground balls, 26 draw controls, and 15 caused turnovers — a complete two-way performance that defined her senior campaign.
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR
Head Coach Mindy McCord, Associate Head Coach Brittney Orashen, Assistant Coach Paul McCord, and Assistant Coach Vincent Lodato were named the American Conference Staff of the Year, leading the Bulls to a perfect record in conference play (6-0) and an 11-4 overall record, with three losses coming to top-10 programs (Michigan, Navy and Florida), and the only other loss coming at No. 25 Richmond. The Bulls became just the second program ever to win a conference championship in their first two seasons of play (2011 – Florida). They led the conference in shots, shots on goal, scoring offense, scoring margin, points per game, draw control percentage, and draw controls per game. The Bulls finished the regular season ranked a program record No. 14 in RPI, and No. 25 in the InsideLacrosse media poll.
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM ALL-ATTACK
Elise Grissett • A • Sr. • South Florida • Holly Springs, N.C.
Grissett was one of the most consistent offensive weapons in the American Conference, finishing with 35 goals and 11 assists for 46 points on 88 shots. She added 14 ground balls and six caused turnovers while ranking second on the team in goals. Grissett surpassed 150 career points and 100 career goals this season.
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM ALL-ATTACK
Maggie Newton • A • Gr. • South Florida • Skaneateles, N.Y.
Newton was the engine of USF's offense as a playmaker, starting all 15 games and leading the team with a career-high 33 assists to go along with 16 goals for 49 points, second-most on the roster. She added 26 ground balls, 26 draw controls, and tied the team-high with 16 caused turnovers, impacting the game in every facet. Newton surpassed 200 career points this season
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM ALL-MIDFIELD
Kali Cleary • M • So. • South Florida • Naples, Fla.
Cleary earned her second consecutive All-American Conference selection after being named to the Second Team as a true freshman in 2025. She started 11 of 15 games played, posting seven goals and three assists, while leading the team with 70 draw controls. Cleary also recorded 16 ground balls in her sophomore campaign.
 
AMERICAN CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM ALL-DEFENSE
Maddie Morris • D • So. • South Florida • Centerport, N.Y.
Morris anchored the Bulls' defensive unit in her sophomore season, starting all 14 games she played in and recording a team-high 16 caused turnovers to go along with 15 ground balls, both of which established new career-highs.
 
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About USF Women's Lacrosse
Amidst its second season, the University of South Florida women's lacrosse program builds on a historic inaugural year that quickly established the Bulls as a contender in the American Athletic Conference. South Florida opened its first-ever season on Feb. 7, 2025, with a 19–6 win over Kennesaw State, setting the State of Florida regular-season attendance record as 2,386 fans filled Corbett Stadium. The Bulls went on to finish the 2025 season with a 13–5 record and earned a place in the American Conference Championship in their inaugural season, ultimately finishing as the league's runner-up. South Florida also drew more than 10,000 total fans to Corbett Stadium during the season. USF named Mindy McCord, an eight-time conference coach of the year, as the program's first head coach in May 2022. McCord arrived in Tampa with 240 career wins and a proven record of building successful programs after launching and leading Jacksonville University's women's lacrosse team for its first 13 seasons. During her tenure at JU, she guided the Dolphins to 21 regular-season and conference tournament titles, eight NCAA Tournament appearances, and back-to-back Sweet Sixteen berths while developing 13 All-Americans, 81 all-conference selections, and 13 conference Player of the Year honorees. South Florida plays a fast-paced, high-scoring style influenced by the early 1990s Loyola Marymount men's basketball fast break. That approach ranked among the national leaders in shots, points per game, and scoring margin during McCord's tenure at Jacksonville and continues to shape the Bulls' offensive identity heading into year two.
 
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