WASHINGTON, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Grove City College built a 13-4 lead going into the fourth quarter and held off a frantic rally from top-seed Washington & Jefferson College to hold on for 13-10 victory in the 2024 Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament Championship Game Saturday afternoon at Alexandre Stadium in Washington, Pa.

The victory gives the third-seeded Wolverines (15-5) their first PAC championship in the three-year history of the program.

Each team scored once in the opening six minutes of the game, but the rest of the half was controlled by Grove City. The Wolverines scored the final three goals of the opening quarter, as graduate student Madison Nazigian (Forest, Va./Jefferson Forest) had a hat trick by the end of the first period.

The scores kept coming for the Wolverines in the second quarter, as they made it an 8-0 run with the first five goals of the quarter. Junior Abby Roetering (Glenelg, Md./Glenelg) sandwiched two goals around a score by freshman Taylor Blythe (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) and sophomore Jackie Rowell (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) scored twice within 1:32 of each other later in the quarter for a 9-1 lead. W&J stopped the run with a goal by sophomore Caleigh Bogats (Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette), but the Wolverines answered with a score by freshman Tori Stevenson (Butler, Pa./Butler) with 57 seconds left in quarter and the game went to halftime with Grove City on top, 10-2.

The third quarter began similar to the second quarter. Nazigian and Stevenson scored 47 seconds apart and with 12:53 left in the third quarter, the Wolverine lead had reached double digits at 12-2. The Presidents managed to get a pair of goals from freshman Ella Holland (Healdsburg, Calif./Cardinal Newman) midway through the quarter, but Nazigian added her fifth of the game with 2:53 left and the Grove City lead stood at 13-4 entering the final 15 minutes.

The three-time defending champion Presidents would make one more run in the fourth quarter. The surge began with a goal by senior Aisa Uhler (East Lansing, Mich./East Lansing) with 12:56 to play and was followed 50 seconds later by a score from senior Sofia Jenkins (Hughesville, Md./The Calverton School). Less than two minutes later, Jenkins scored again and another quick-strike goal, this one by sophomore Anna Kloehn (Canton, Ohio/Jackson) just 14 seconds later, had sliced the Grove City lead down to 13-8 with still 10 minutes to play. Kloehn would strike again 50 seconds after her first and when Holland notched her third goal of the day with 7:20 to play, the Presidents were within 13-10.

However, time would run out on the W&J comeback attempt. The Wolverine defense tightened up again, not allowing a shot the rest of the game and helping force five turnovers in the final seven minutes. Grove City gained possession with 41 seconds to play and ran out the clock to secure the win and their first PAC Championship.

Leading the Wolverines offense was Nazigian, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament after she posted five goals and one assist for six points in the final. Overall in the three-game PAC Tournament run, Nazigian totaled 19 goals and 20 points.

Other Grove City players who posted multiple goals included Roetering, Rowell and Stevenson with two each, while Stevenson and senior Lucy Martin (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair) also gave out two assists each. On the defensive side, junior goalie Elyse Kiggins (Zelienople, Pa./Seneca Valley) made eight saves, including two impressive stops in the big second quarter, and junior Emily Arnold (Ijamsville Md./Urbana) scooped four ground balls and caused two turnovers to lead the team in both categories.

Joining Nazigian on the All-Tournament Team was Arnold, junior Sarah Jackson (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield), Kiggins and freshman Gwen Shilling (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional).

The W&J efforts were led by Jenkins, who had three goals and three assists for a game-high six points. Holland added an assist with her hat trick and Kloehn also passed out an assist with her two scores. Bogats, Holland, Jenkins and Kloehn were all chosen for the All-Tournament Team for the Presidents.

As the winner of the PAC Championship Tournament, Grove City will receive the conference's automatic-qualifying bid to the Division III Championship, which will be their first appearance in the national playoffs. The field for this year's Division III Championship is scheduled to be announced Monday, May 6. First and second round games are scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, May 11-13. 
 

2024 PAC Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament
Tuesday, April 30
Quarterfinals
5 p.m.	No. 4 Chatham 9, No. 5 Thiel 8	Pittsburgh, Pa.
5:30 p.m.	No. 3 Grove City 17, No. 6 Westminster 5	Grove City, Pa.
Thursday, May 2
Semifinals
7 p.m.	No. 1 W&J 14, No. 4 Chatham 7	Washington, Pa.
7 p.m.	No. 3 Grove City 14, No. 2 Allegheny 13 (2 OT)	Meadville, Pa.
Saturday, May 4
Championship game
1 p.m.	No. 3 Grove City 13, No. 1 W&J 10	Washington, Pa.