ROB GRELLA AND RIGO RECEIVE MAJOR AWARDS; EIGHT NAMED TO ALL-CACC TEAMS
Orangeburg, N.Y. (4/29/25) Dominican University New York women's lacrosse player Jenna Rigo has been named the 2025 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Defensive Player of the Year, along with head coach Rob Grella who earns his fourth consecutive CACC Coach of the Year honors to headline the all-conference teams and major award winners announced today by CACC Commissioner Dan Mara. The voting was conducted by the conference's 10 head coaches.
Wilmington University junior Ella Royer has been voted the 2025 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year. Royer, who was also named to the All-CACC First Team at midfield, whiel Georgian Court University freshman midfielder Nena Menard was selected as the 2025 CACC Women's Lacrosse Rookie of the Year. Rigo, a junior defender from Dominican University New York, won Defensive Player of the Year honors, and Thomas Jefferson University sophomore Kalyn Ammerlaan is the Goalkeeper of the Year. Rigo and Ammerlaan also nabbed All-CACC First-Team honors, while Menard was a Second-Team selection. Dominican head coach Grella was voted the 2025 CACC Coach of the Year, and Post University is the winner of the Women's Lacrosse Team Sportsmanship Award.
Royer, from Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, set the NCAA Division II record for goals in a season. She has 118 goals and 25 assists in 18 games, with her 143 points also leading the nation in 2025. Additionally, Royer tops the CACC with 128 draw controls and 58 ground balls. Royer has helped lead the Wildcats to a spot in today's CACC semifinals.
Menard has put together a solid two-way debut season for the Lions. In 18 games, the Dover, Pa., resident has accumulated 37 goals, five assists, 66 draw controls, and 42 ground balls, ranking among the top 10 in the CACC in the latter two categories. Menard and GCU will also participate in the conference semifinals today.
Rigo, of East Islip, N.Y., has helped Dominican to own the top scoring defense in Division II. The Chargers allow just 4.76 goals per game. Individually, she tops the CACC with 42 caused turnovers and is sixth with 45 ground balls. Rigo and the Chargers are the No. 1 seed in the CACC playoffs and host Georgian Court this afternoon.
Ammerlaan has started all 17 games in goal for the Rams, backing the CACC's second-best defense. The Branchburg, N.J., native is 10-7 with a 9.99 goals-against average (3rd in the CACC), a .459 save percentage (4th), and 7.59 saves per game (5th). Ammerlaan and Jefferson will host Wilmington during today's semifinal round.
Grella, selected by the league's directors of athletics communications, has won the CACC Coach of the Year award following all four of his seasons with the Chargers. In 2025, he has led DUNY (16-1, 9-0 CACC) to the conference regular-season championship and a No. 24 ranking in the latest national D-II coaches' poll. Dominican is listed fourth in the most recent NCAA Division II East Region ranking.
Post, led by head coach Shelby Page, was the coaches' choice for demonstrating class and character throughout the regular season.
Dominican also had four players named to the All-CACC First Team as Grace DeStasio and Madelyn Grella earn recognition at the attack position, while Rigo received the defensive nod and Erica Ortiz as the draw control specialist.
The All-CACC Second Team saw Ortiz earn a spot in the attack position, while Erin Carr and Sydney Strohmayer received defensive honors. Kristinamarie Kaszovitz earned the second team goalkeeper honors.
The 2025 CACC women's lacrosse major award winners and all-conference teams are listed below.
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ella Royer (Wilmington University)
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Nena Menard (Georgian Court University)
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Jenna Rigo (Dominican University)
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Kalyn Ammerlaan (Thomas Jefferson University)
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE COACH OF THE YEAR
Rob Grella (Dominican University)
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Post University
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPION
Dominican University
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
A – Grace DeStasio (Dominican University)
A – Madelyn Grella (Dominican University)
A – Alea Javorowsky (Wilmington University)
A – Isabel Raimondi (Georgian Court University)
M - Tara Dimaio (University of Bridgeport)
M - Caitlin Petrellese (Georgian Court University)
M - Ella Royer (Wilmington University)
M - Tori Wolstenholme (Holy Family University)
D - Audrey Cashin (Thomas Jefferson University)
D – Kaley Maxwell (University of Bridgeport)
D - Payton Pugh (Holy Family University)
D - Jenna Rigo (Dominican University)
DC – Erica Ortiz (Dominican University)
GK - Kalyn Ammerlaan (Thomas Jefferson University)
2025 CACC WOMEN'S LACROSSE ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
A – Tristan Holdsworth (Wilmington University)
A – Max McDermott (University of Bridgeport)
A – Erica Ortiz (Dominican University)
A – Rianna Shields (Holy Family University)
M - Iris Gluck (Thomas Jefferson University)
M - Nena Menard (Georgian Court University)
M - Gabby Modzelewski (Thomas Jefferson University)
M - Emily Stuart (University of Bridgeport)
D - Erin Carr (Dominican University)
D - Abby Galazka (Chestnut Hill College)
D - Faith Hardy (Thomas Jefferson University)
D - Sydney Strohmayer (Dominican University)
DC – Caitlin Petrellese (Georgian Court University)
GK – Kristinamarie Kaszovitz (Dominican University)
