After two impressive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship victories by both the women’s lacrosse and softball teams, Fairfield’s women’s athletics, for the eighth time, has earned the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup. The honor is awarded as a symbol of overall excellence in the championships sports.

The women’s lacrosse team was able to get the first of two MAAC Championships for the spring sports season as they defeated Canisius 9-7 in the championship game. Sophomore Alex Fehmel had a huge game for the Stags, posting a hat trick. Fehmel stepped up as midfielder during her sophomore season, leading her team with a combined 44 points, consisting of 31 goals and 13 assists. The win over Canisius gave the Stags their second-ever National Collegiate Athletic Association berth where they took on Princeton University, ending their season after an 18-8 loss. With the last competition over Princeton, Fairfield finished out the season 14-5, the most wins the team has seen since the 2009 season.

The Stags, who had last secured a MAAC Championship crown in 2008, couldn’t have been happier with their win over the Canisius Golden Griffs, who have taken the MAAC crown in previous years. The win was not only a great accomplishment for the team, but also a monumental way to send off head coach Mike Waldvogel, who announced at the beginning of the season he would be stepping down as head coach. Now, with eight seasons with the women’s team under his belt, Waldvogel has led the team to the most success they have seen, including two NCAA berths and yet another MAAC Championship crown. Laura Field will now step up as head coach for the Stags come the fall. The team can look to have another successful season, as they only graduated five seniors. Junior Chelsey Sidaras, goalkeeper for the Stags, will be returning to the team, along with Fehmel and Julieanne Mascera ‘16.

The softball team shocked the MAAC as they captured the MAAC Championship. In the preseason poll, Fairfield was voted to have supposed to finish sixth in the MAAC, but the Stags pushed through and were able to take the crown after they swept Monmouth in the championship tournament. In the first game, Fairfield took down Monmouth with their strong offense, posting an 8-5 victory. Continuing on with this momentum, the team took the second win 11-5. This was the Stags’ second MAAC Championship win and this win gave the team their first ever NCAA berth. In their first NCAA competition, Fairfield traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala. where they took on fifth-seeded Alabama in the first round of play. The Stags dropped the game against Crimson Tide 8-0 and then fell to University of South Carolina Upstate 9-0. Despite the losses, they couldn’t have been happier with the experience of playing nationally.

Finishing out the season 25-24, the team looks forward to hopefully returning back to the NCAA, but will have to do so without some of their starting seniors including Sammy Ruffalo, Brianna Levick and Sam Frungillo. However, the team looks to Lauren Filicia ‘16 and Kate Robinson ‘18 to continue to bring success to the Stags next season. Filicia played a huge role to the success this team saw this season and her performance awarded her the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year, batting in 45 runs and 67 hits.

With two MAAC Championships, two NCAA berths and now the MAAC Commissioner’s Cup, Fairfield’s women’s athletics have had an impressive and successful season. As they prepare for their fall preseasons, the Stags will hope to come back with even more power.

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