The 2025 season for the Youngstown State women's lacrosse program was one that saw many improvements on the field, new individual records set, and much experience gained for a rather young bunch.
The Penguins finished 7-8 overall, their second-highest win total of any season in program history, and 2-4 in Mid-American Conference play.
Team and Individual Highlights
- The Penguins defended their home turf with three wins this season, defeating Saint Francis 19-10 on Feb. 16, Butler 15-10 on Feb. 28, and Detroit Mercy 20-9 on Senior Day, Apr. 19. All three home wins came indoors at the Watson and Tressel Training Site, as due to conflicting weather, YSU was only able to play one home game outdoors at Farmers National Bank Field, a Mar. 29 contest against Robert Morris.
- This year's squad boasted a very impressive five players who received postseason conference honors. Tori Bustamante and Katie Grottenthaler were each dubbed as First Team All-MAC selections, while Lena Cox was chosen as a Second Team All-MAC selection. Claire Baenziger and Meghan McGrath had very impressive debut seasons for the 'Guins, each being named to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
- Tori Bustamante flourished as one of the top defenders in the MAC during her first season in Youngstown after transferring from Molloy University. She set a new single-season program record with 42 ground balls, while also totaling 36 caused turnovers, which was one shy of tying the single-season program record in that category. She led the MAC in both CT (36) and CT/G (2.40) while ranking third in the conference in GB/G (2.80) and sixth in total GB (42). She had at least three CT eight times in 15 games, including a season-high four CT five times. She recorded at least six GB three times, including a season-high seven GB in the season finale vs. Kent State on Apr. 26.
- Like Bustamante, Katie Grottenthaler also rewrote the Penguins' record book during Spring. She was an offensive juggernaut for YSU, leading the team in points (50), goals (43), free-position goals (21), and draw controls (76). Her 21 free-position goals set a new single-season program record, breaking the old record of 17. Her free-position shooting percentage of 75% ranked third in the country, while her 1.40 FPG/G ranked fourth. Grottenthaler's 43 goals ranked third in the MAC and were also the third-most in a single season in program history. Her 76 draw controls ranked third in the MAC and are the second-most by a Penguin in a single season. She scored at least three goals nine times, including a season-high six goals vs. Gardner-Webb on Mar. 6. She garnered at least five draw controls in seven games, including a season-high 11 vs. Wofford on Mar. 3.
- The Penguins were one of the top teams nationally in free-position shooting percentage, ranking second in the country at 58% with an impressive 57 goals on 98 attempts. Albany was the only time ranked ahead of YSU at 63%.
- A very memorable stretch from the season included a four-game winning streak that spanned from Feb. 28 to Mar. 8, with the final three wins coming away from Youngstown. The Penguins were not only winning games during this stretch, but also dominated, winning each game by at least five goals. The four-game winning streak was the second-longest in program history. The final victory of the streak, an 18-8 win over Radford, gave the Penguins a 5-3 record, which marked the best start through eight games in program history, while also securing YSU's fifth win against a non-conference opponent of the season, a new program record.
- Five different players scored at least 20 goals during the season for YSU, led by Grottenthaler and her team-high 43 goals. Other players on the list include Ava Kreutzer (27), Brooke Peck (26), Lena Cox (23), and Grace Rund (23).
- Not only was Lena Cox strong at finding the back of the cage with her stick, but she was arguably better at setting up attacking opportunities for the Penguins. She had a team-high 26 assists, which ranked second in the conference, and is the second-most ever by a Penguin in a single season. She had multiple assists in 10 games this season, including a season-high three assists four times.Â
- There were many individual performances that put the rest of the MAC on notice throughout the season, as YSU garnered five Mid-American Conference Player of the Week selections. Katie Grottenthaler and Tara McHugh got the 'Guins off to a hot start as they took home both the MAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week selections, respectively, on Feb. 11. Lena Cox was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week for the following week of action on Feb.18, while Grottenthaler took home offensive player of the week honors once again on Mar. 11, and Tori Bustamante was named the league's defensive player of the week during the final week of the regular season on Apr. 29.
- Brooke Harper started most games in the cage for the Penguins during her first season with the team, leading the team in wins (4) and saves (69) during her 14 appearances.
- Four Penguins controlled at least 20 draws on the season, led by Katie Grottenthaler's 76 draw controls, and followed by Grace Rund (48), Ava Kreutzer (23), and Genna Cooke (23).
- A very aggressive defensive team this season, six players tallied double-digit caused turnovers. Tori Bustamante led the way with 36, followed by Mackenzie Flannigan with 22, Molly Sheridan with 14, Katie Grottenthaler and Meghan McGrath, who had 12 each, and Genna Cooke, who had 11.
- As a team, YSU found the back of the net 201 times, a 54-goal increase from 2024. The Penguins had 58 assists offensively this season.
Academic Excellence
The Youngstown State women's lacrosse team performed well both on the field and in the classroom during the 2025 campaign, placing 12 student-athletes on the 2025 Academic All-MAC Team. The Penguins included were Katie Grottenthaler, Ava Kreutzer, Mia Stahl, Brooke Peck, Grace Rund, Mia Kuzdzal, Emma Hoffman, Molly Sheridan, Skylar Pigrom, Lena Cox, Ally Garrett, and Genna Cooke.
Season Statistical Leaders
Single-Game Highs
Goals: 6 - Katie Grottenthaler vs. Gardner-Webb (Mar. 6)
Assists: 3 – Lena Cox vs. Butler (Feb. 28), vs. Wofford (Mar. 3), vs. Radford (Mar. 8), and vs. Kent State (Apr. 26) and Brooke Peck vs. George Washington (Apr. 4)
Points: 7 – Lena Cox vs. Wofford (Mar. 3)
Shots: 9 – Lena Cox vs. Radford (Mar. 8)
Shots-on-Goal: 7 – Katie Grottenthaler vs. Gardner-Webb (Mar. 6)
Saves: 11 – Brooke Harper vs. Robert Morris (Mar. 29)
Ground Balls: 7 – Brooke Harper vs. Kent State (Apr. 26)
Caused Turnovers: 4 - Tori Bustamante vs. Gardner-Webb (Mar. 6), vs. Akron (Mar. 16), vs. Eastern Michigan (Mar. 23), vs. George Washington (Apr. 4), vs. Kent State (Apr. 26) and Mackenzie Flannigan vs. Wofford (Mar. 3) and Central Michigan (Apr. 11)
Draw Controls: 11 – Katie Grottenthaler vs. Wofford (Mar. 3)
