Consistent strength is the hallmark of the Gettysburg women's lacrosse team, a perennial powerhouse both in the Centennial Conference and in NCAA Division III tournament competition. The Bullets have made it commonplace to beat nationally-ranked opposition en route to a successful regular season and their usual appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Gettysburg captured its first national title, and the first NCAA championship in school history, in 2011. The Bullets made a remarkable run with a relatively young team, finishing with a 19-4 overall record and defeating Bowdoin College 16-5 in the national title game on May 22, 2011. Gettysburg capped the year ranked No. 1 in the national polls.
Gettysburg's second national title came in 2017. A dream season culminated with a 6-5 victory over top-ranked College of New Jersey in the national championship. The Bullets tied the school record for victories in a season (21) and set new program and conference defensive standards with a GAA of 4.79. Gettysburg beat two No. 1 teams for the first time in school history and knocked off eight teams ranked among the top 14 in the season's final national poll.
The Bullets made it back-to-back national championships with a victory in 2018. Gettysburg posted 10 wins over teams that finished among the top 25 in the country, including an 11-9 victory over Middlebury College in the national championship game held at Kerr Stadium on the campus of Roanoke College. The team tied the program record for wins with a mark of 21-2 and finished No. 1 in the national poll.Â
Over the last 22 seasons, Cantele has led the Bullets to unprecedented heights. The team has competed in the NCAA Division III Tournament 19 times and has advanced to the national semifinals seven times in the last 16 years. In 2006, Gettysburg earned top billing in the nation for the first time and won its first 21 games, a school record, before falling in the NCAA championship game. The Orange & Blue have enjoyed a top-10 ranking every season since the start of the new millennium, including a program record eight weeks at No.1 during the 2019 campaign. Â
The Bullets have been the most dominant team in the highly competitive Centennial Conference, capturing a conference-best 12 championships since 2000, including five in a row from 2002 to 2006. Since the 2000 season, Gettysburg has racked up a record of 181-14 (.928) against Centennial foes.
Individually, Gettysburg has earned 77 All-Centennial Conference First Team accolades and has had 17 Players of the Year, including the only two-time winners Katie Ceglarski '08 (2006, 2008) and Hollis Stahl'10 (2009, 2010). The program has received 60 All-America citations from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA), including seven national players of the year.
Gettysburg hosts its opposition on the friendly confines of Clark Field, where fans can enjoy watching lacrosse and viewing the scenic area of the Gettysburg Battlefield and Peace Light. In 2010, the venue played host to the NCAA Division II and III Women's Lacrosse Championships - the first national championship ever hosted at Gettysburg College.
Team Highlights
First Varsity Year: 1971
All-time Record:Â Â 621-220-7 (.736)
Coaches: Grace Kenney (6 years, 21-8-4), Lois Bowers (16 years, 99-84-3), Carol Cantele (30 years, 446-115), Charlotte Hibbard (3 years, 55-13)
NCAAÂ Division III Champions (3): 2011, 2017, 2018
NCAA Division III Runner-Up (2): 2006, 2023
NCAA Division III Semifinalist (10): 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2023, 2025
NCAA Division III Tournament Appearances (23): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW)
Division III Tournament Appearances: 1981 (5th)
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Centennial Conference Champions (13): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022
Middle Atlantic Conference Champions: 1981
Pennsylvania-Maryland Conference Champions: 1977, 1979
ECAC Division III Mid-Atlantic Champions: 1995
ECAC Division III Tournament Appearances: 1995, 1997, 2001
Consecutive Winning Seasons: 31 (1994-2025)
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Academic All-Americans: Nicole Ditillo '10 (2009 - 2nd Team, 2010 - 2nd Team),
Liza Barr '20 (2020 - 1st Team),
Kerry McKeeverÂ
'21 (2021 - 2nd Team),
Katie Fullowan '23 (2022 - 3rd Team)
All-America Selections: 80
IWLCA NCAA Division III All-America First Team Selections: 27
IWLCA NCAA Division III Players of the Year (7): Â Kate Murphy '05 (2005, Defender),
Katie Ceglarski '08 (2008, Midfielder),
Hollis Stahl '10 (2010, Midfielder),
Becky Lutz '11 (2011, Defender),
Hannah Church '12 (2012, Attacker),
Mandy Buell '15 (2015, Attacker),
Steph Colson '19 (2018, Midfielder),
Courtney Patterson '20 (2019, Midfielder)
Inside Lacrosse NCAA Division III Players of the Year (4): Megan Murphy '03 (2003, Offensive), Kate Murphy '05 (2005, Defensive), Katie Ceglarski '08 (2006, Midfielder), Steph Colson '19 (2018, Midfielder & Breakout)
IWLCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Nicole Ditillo '10 (2010), Maddi Seibel '22 (2022)
IWLCA All-Metro Region Selections: 132
Centennial Conference First Team Selections: 91
Centennial Conference Players of the Year (17): Jessica Seedorf '01 (2001), Megan Murphy '03 (2003), Julika Blankenship '04 (2004), ,
Katie Ceglarski '08 (2006, 2008),
Katie Hagan '07 (2007),
Hollis Stahl'10 (2009, 2010),
Becky Lutz '11 (2011),
Hannah Church (2012),
Kelsey Markiewicz '14 (2014),
Mandy Buell '15 (2015),
Liza Barr '20 (2019),
Courtney Patterson '20 (2019), Kerry McKeever '21 (2021), Jordan Basso '24 (2022, 2023, 2024), Caroline Sullivan '24 (2024), Lily Macatee '25 (2023, 2025)
Centennial Conference Coach of the Year: Carol Cantele (2013, 2015, 2022), Charlotte Hibbard (2024)
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