At the start of her rookie season, Freshman Ayla McDermod of the Women’s Lacrosse Team received the accolade of NE10 Rookie of the Week three times. McDermod first received the honor on February 24, 2025 after scoring a total of five goals in the first two games against American International and Saint Michael’s. This kicked off a 2-0 record for the Hawks.

“It feels great and I think each week that I get it just pushes me to be better every week. I just want to play to the level I did last week” said McDermod. “I think a lot of the work we put in over the fall and just the continuing support from my teammates and coaches is really what’s brought me to where I am,” McDermod added.

When prepping for the season, McDermod mentioned the Hawks had four scrimmages in the fall that helped prepare the freshman for what a college game would feel like.

“I didn’t know what to expect coming out of high school into college, it’s a very different game. I came into a mindset of being open to everything,” McDermod said.

As the Hawks faced American International, McDermod was able to score her first career hat trick in the first quarter of the freshman’s first collegiate game.

McDermod’s second time receiving Rookie of the Week came after putting up a perfect shooting percentage with all seven shots making it in the net in the two games against Franklin Pierce and Robert Wesleyan.

“I’d say it all came together in our second game against Saint Michael’s, the first game we won by a lot, it was an easy win. Once we started to play the harder teams I started to realize that I can play against them at a higher level. I really think it all came together,” said McDermod.

The third accolade came on March 24, 2025 after McDermod had a career high of five goals and six points. She leads the Hawks in twenty goals, the seventh most in the NE10 conference. It does not take much for McDermod to prepare for games.

“I’m not a superstitious person at all so there’s nothing specific I do everytime,” said the freshman. “I do always wear a bun and always make sure to hydrate all day and get locked in, listen to music,” she added.

The Hawks currently have an 8-4 overall record and a 3-3 conference record in which McDermod contributed six points in those games. When starting her rookie season, McDermod mentioned that she did not have as much confidence as she should have.

“My coaches, captains, and all my teammates pushed me to be where I am today,” McDermod said. “That helped develop my confidence a lot. I became more confident in taking the ball and driving it which was something I was afraid of doing. Now that’s where most of my pulls have come from.”

Looking ahead for the rest of the season, McDermod continues to push for more confidence and success in her drives. “Be smart and have a better lax IQ,” she said.

In regards to goals for the team, “we want to win against the higher ranked teams. We want to win the NE10 Championship as well as make it to the NCAA Tournament.”

With McDermod’s fiery start to her rookie season and an 8-4 over-all record, the Hawks are looking in great condition for a championship win.

Wish the Lady Hawks and Ayla good luck on the rest of their season!