St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s lacrosse team added another championship trophy to its collection Saturday afternoon in St. Mary’s City.
The top-seeded Seahawks captured the 2026 United East Conference x Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Crossover Championship with a 20-2 victory over No. 1 seed Alfred State College. The win earned the program an automatic qualifying bid to the 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship Tournament.
Junior midfielder Sanne Elling (Ocean View, Del./Sussex) led the attack with a career-best seven goals. First-year attacker Sarah Fitter (Ellicott City, Md./Marriotts Ridge) was named Tournament MVP after posting 13 goals and seven assists across the Seahawks’ playoff run. Junior midfielder Hope Harrison (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) reached a milestone with her 100th career point on an assist in the third quarter. She finished the game with two goals and two assists.
The Seahawks improved to 7-10 overall while Alfred State fell to 12-5. The game marked the program’s latest title in a strong postseason stretch. St. Mary’s College had already secured its fifth consecutive United East Conference Divisional Championship the week before.
St. Mary’s raced to a 13-0 lead with 7:07 left in the first half. The running clock started less than two minutes into the second quarter. Alfred State avoided a shutout when Alyssa Turner scored before halftime. Elling added three goals and an assist during a 6-0 run that pushed the score to 19-1 with 10:12 remaining. Turner answered with a woman-up goal, and first-year attacker Ava Kessel (Baltimore, Md./Sparrows Point) closed the scoring with her third goal of the season.
Inside the box score, the Seahawks dominated statistically. They outshot Alfred State 42-7 and controlled the draw 20-5. Senior captain Katelin Scala (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) set a career high with 12 draw controls. The home team also posted a plus-9 turnover margin. Junior defender Claire Boudreau (Towson, Md./Towson) led the defense with a career-high four caused turnovers. St. Mary’s College held an 18-11 advantage in ground balls. Senior captain Gina Jaffurs (Leonardtown, Md./St. Mary’s Ryken) collected a career-best five loose balls.
Game notes highlighted additional standout performances. Elling finished with a career-high eight points. Fitter added three goals and three assists. Scala contributed three goals, two assists and two ground balls to go with her draw-control total. Junior attacker Grace Maurice (Clinton, Conn./Cheshire) recorded a goal and two assists. Jaffurs was active on both ends with two goals, one assist, five ground balls and two caused turnovers. For Alfred State, Maeve Runyon made eight saves while Turner scored both of the Pioneers’ goals.
The victory continues a strong run for the Seahawks in conference play. The team has now claimed multiple titles in recent years while competing as an NCAA Division III program based in Southern Maryland. St. Mary’s College will learn its first-round NCAA opponent during the Division III Women’s Lacrosse Selection Show set for Monday, May 4, at 10:30 a.m. ET on NCAA.com. The Seahawks are scheduled to host a first-round game on May 9.
The program’s success highlights the depth of lacrosse in the region. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, located along the St. Mary’s River in historic St. Mary’s City, has built a competitive presence in the United East Conference. The crossover championship format pits the top teams from the United East and AMCC against each other for the automatic NCAA bid.
