Wet and windy conditions couldn't dampen pool play, and the title still seems open for the taking
May 18, 2025 by Zack Davis in Recap
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BURLINGTON, WA – Pool play is wrapped after 24 games in sometimes wet, sometimes windy, sometimes very wet and windy conditions. With a pool top seed dethroned and a championship contender pushed to the brink, read on for the top level stories from the day and stay tuned to our 2025 D-III College National Championships event page for updates and streaming links!
Chalk It Up
Only two of pool play’s 24 matchups didn’t go to seed today in the women’s division (put a pin in that), but aside from that the algorithm was right. That’s not to say we weren’t witness to some great games and some greater performances. One such stand out was Donovan finalist and Sneetch all-timer Zoe Costanza. Slashing an eye watering 8G/15A/9D through only three games, Costanza is third in goals trailing LucyVanNewkirk of Middlebury and Claire Willet of Mount Holyoke each with eleven, and is second in assists, behind only Middlebury’s rookie sensation Ella Widmyer with sixteen. Costanza hasn’t seen an opportunity she doesn’t like. She has been highflying, huck throwing, and spectacle slinging every opportunity she has. Missing her own graduation to be in Burlington, it’s clear Costanza’s not having any regrets about the decision she made.
Pool A, Surprising Pool of Death
One upset that was not to be came in the final round, Davenport against Wesleyan, wherein the overall one seed Wesleyan rallied from down 10-8, going hold, break, upwind break to get the win. Scout Noble was a centerpiece for the Vicious Circles, both in this game and throughout the day. The 2024 ROTY leads her team in both goals and assists, with six and eleven respectively, aftering slashing 1G/5A/2D against the Panthers alone. Noble has been a sharpshooter from range with the disc and razor sharp in the lanes on offense for Wesleyan.
Donovan finalist Natalie Sweet and rookie Milo Brown were instrumental to the Circles’ success today as well, ranking second and third respectively for both goals and assists on the team. Back with the team after missing regionals, Sweet is quickly demonstrating their bid for the Donovan has a solid foundation. Milo, while a bit trigger happy, has shown some flashes of brilliance and left no doubt that Wesleyan is in good hands following this season. Wesleyan are far from a three player show however, and were clearly dipping deep into the depth chart with success today, most notably with Mackenzie Bunnell swatting and snatching anything near them, logging eight blocks today. Wesleyan’s other two wins were not nearly as close, with a 15-5 win over Richmond and a 10-6 win over Mount Holyoke. Not without effort, Wesleyan finishes atop Pool A and find themselves proud owners of a shiny new bye to quarters.
Taking the pin out of one of those two non-chalk games, Davenport gave another one up to 12th seed Mount Holyoke 13-10 to end the day 1-2. The Panthers were winning until they lost, jumping out early and late leads, but faltered right at the end, giving up four straight points to Daisy Chain. Holyoke was led by Charlotte Moynihan (propeller hat and all), who posted six assists to only a single turn in the game against Davenport, and Eliza Williams-Derry who posted 6G/1A/2D/3T in the Davenport game alone.
Moynihan, who hasn’t stopped smiling since the tournament began, has been dominant in the red zone, carving defensives to pieces, while William-Derry seems to have a sixth sense for open spaces. Lanie O’Neill, Davenport’s captain and centerpiece, still had herself an impressive 12 assists on the day, and pioneered their win against Richmond to assure the Panthers still reached the bracket. A rock in the handler spot, O’Niell’s veterancy has clearly paid dividends for the Panthers, and their 1-2 record masks a gritty play capable of giving any team all they can handle.
Bird Up
The rumors are true: Middlebury is back. Lucy VanNewkirk is all the pundits have been espousing her to be and maybe more. Fearless with the disc, aggressive in the cutting lanes, and a confirmed lover of sports, VanNewkirk was putting on a clinic in their decisive 13-6 win over Carleton. Take a pin out of the other non-chalk game.
The game was never even close as Middlebury jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never really looked back. Middlebury wasn’t the VanNewkirk show, as it’s going to be impossible to mention the Pranksters without mentioning Ella Widmyer for the next three seasons. The rookie phenom casually threw 16 assists today, and still had time to log two goals and three blocks. Sasha Hanna also lit up the field today, with multiple run-though blocks against Eclipse to go alongside six goals during the day. She looked confident and powerful in her cuts and was a menace on defense. Middlebury also dropped jaws around the fields today when they bageled Union 15-0. Union, for their part, went on to put away Puget Sound to make the bracket, which honestly makes the 15-0 win even more impressive for Middlebury.
Around the Complex
- Carleton, despite the loss to Middlebury, looked strong in their other two wins, beating both Union and Puget Sound 15-5. Frankie Saraniti played very well, directing traffic, centering the team, and not trying to absolutely control everything. Her strongest trait might be her ability to control the pace of play, that and her defense. She posted seven blocks across the three games. But we need to talk about Maddy Brown who was a stand out for Eclipse today and at times their only bright spot against Middlebury, diving at anything in her orbit and more often than not coming up with it.
- Leina Goto put on a show for St. Olaf today. Along with Grace Milhaupt, the pair were one/two for their team in both goals and assists. With excellent shape on her lefty backhands, Goto has never met a huck she didn’t like, but seemed to find the balance between aggression and recklessness as Vortex put away a strong Lewis & Clark side. Char Batchelor was a stand out for Vortex today as well, playing up and fitting in with Goto and Milhaupt.
- Tomorrow will open with some banger matches, as Kenyon’s high powered offense matches up against Davenport’s stalwart defense on stream. Mount Holyoke and Rochester will meet up in what’s likely to be a barn burner. St. Olaf and Union, two teams that like to drag out a point as long as they need to, will face off for a shot at Wesleyan. All eyes will likely be on Carleton against Lewis & Clark though, as Eclipse were the only one seed that fell to prequarters and will have to play their way past an impressive and cheerful Artemis team.
