INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The Washington & Jefferson College women's lacrosse team will face Heartland Collegiate Conference Champion Transylvania University in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 14. The match, which will start at 1 p.m, will take place at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va.

The winner of Saturday's match will face the host Generals in the Second Round on Sunday. Both games this weekend will be played at Alston Parker Watt Field (100 West Denny Circle, Lexington, VA 24450). 

W&J will be making its third NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. The Presidents first appeared in NCAAs back in 2017 after winning the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC). The Presidents returned to the NCAA Tournament last year and advanced to the third round where they fell to eventual National Champion Salisbury (Md.). 

The Presidents (12-4 overall) will be making a return trip to Lexington, Va. as they competed at Washington & Lee last year in the NCAA Third Round. W&J earned the automatic bid after winning its second-straight Presidents' Athletic Conference Tournament Championship with a 13-5 win over Grove City College on Saturday. The Presidents held the Wolverines to a season-low five goals behind its defensive unit.

Junior defender Sam Casile (New Kensington, Pa./Plum) was named PAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Casile totaled 10 ground balls and seven caused turnovers in the two wins last week. Freshman defender Ella Phillips (Arnold, Md./Broadneck) paced the W&J defensive effort with seven ground balls and four caused turnovers in Saturday's title game. Phillips joined Casile on the All-Tournament Team. The Presidents currently rank third in NCAA Division III with 14.75 caused turnovers per game. Phillips (2.44 per game) and Casile (2.31 per game) rank 36th and 52nd, respectively, in Division III in caused turnovers. 

Offensively, junior attack/midfielder Amanda Effland (Frederick, Md./Frederick) leads the team with 45 goals and 68 points. Junior midfielder Sarah Labovitz (Great Falls, Va./The Bullis School) leads the team with 77 draw controls and 52 ground balls. 

Transylvania (9-9 overall) claimed the HCAC Tournament Championship with a 16-7 in over Hanover College on Saturday. Junior attack Abbey Peterson leads TU with 50 goals and 69 points. Peterson was named HCAC Offensive Player of the Year. 

The Pioneers and Presidents, former members of the ORLC from 2015-18, have met five times in recent history. W&J leads the all-time series by a 3-2 margin.  

The NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Committee has selected the 46 teams that will compete in the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship. Thirty-two conferences have been awarded automatic qualification for the championship. One team has been selected from Pool B, which consists of independent institutions and institutions that are members of conferences that do not meet the requirements for automatic qualification. The final thirteen berths are reserved for Pool C, which includes the remaining institutions in conferences with automatic qualification that are not the conference champion plus remaining independents and members of non-qualifying conferences.

Fourteen first-round games will be conducted Saturday, May 14 with the winners advancing to the second round. Sixteen second-round games will be conducted on Sunday, May 15 with the winners advancing to one of four regional sites Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22. Winners of the four regionals will advance to the semifinals and final, which take place Saturday and Sunday, May 28-29 at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Virginia. The Old Dominion Athletic Conference and the City of Salem will serve as hosts for the championship.