Division I Women's Impact Transfers for 2024

The transfer portal has come to define college lacrosse (and college sports as a whole) since the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a blanket waiver for NCAA athletes.

That extra year of eligibility was certainly taken advantage of by players across the country, leading to annual “where are they now?” posts with each new season. Players eligible to use that blanket waiver for the final time were part of this offseason’s transfer class, meaning the deluge of summer transfers is likely to lessen considerably in the years ahead.

So, let’s recap some of the biggest Division I women’s impact transfers as fall ball kicks into high gear.

Summer Agostino, M (Boston College to Clemson)

A No. 3 recruit in her class by Inside Lacrosse, Agostino was routinely buried on the depth chart at Boston College. She saw time in five games as a freshman and five more as a sophomore but couldn’t crack the rotation. So, it’s off to an ACC rival in Clemson that desperately needs some scoring punch after the departure of Sofia Chepenik via the transfer portal. A former top recruit with a fresh start and what looks like an increased role? Look out for Agostino this spring.

Meghan Ball, D (Rutgers to Maryland)

Last season was the first since Maryland joined the Big Ten that it didn’t produce the conference’s defender of the year. So, Cathy Reese went out and added the player who earned the hardware. Meghan Ball was a one-woman wrecking crew at Rutgers, often stymieing the opposition’s top player or disrupting entire offensive schemes. Reese likes to downplay the impact of newcomers via the portal (see: Marge Donovan this time last year), but expect Ball to be a difference-making addition.

Rachel Clark, A (Virginia to Boston College) and Emma LoPinto, A (Florida to Boston College)

There were two gems in the transfer portal, and Boston College nabbed both. Rachel Clark was arguably the most polished attacker available, choosing to leave Virginia after her sophomore season following the departure of head coach Julie Myers. Clark produced 127 goals and 24 assists in two years in Charlottesville and brings polish and ACC poise to a BC offense that couldn’t get it going in the NCAA championship game. Citing the desire to be closer to her Long Island home and more of an academic challenge, LoPinto joins Clark as an impact transfer. Like her new teammate, LoPinto tore it up at her previous school, scoring 125 goals with 62 assists for Florida. She was 14th in the country with 90 points in 2023, and it’s rare for teams to find that level of production via the portal — especially with more than one year of eligibility remaining. With the Eagles already featuring an established feeder in Mckenna Davis and a midfielder in Belle Smith who has a nose for the goal, the offense is now one of the scariest in Division I.

Olivia Dooley, D (USC to Notre Dame)

Notre Dame was already a top-20 defense in 2023, allowing a shade under 10 goals per game (9.43). The biggest missing piece in 2024 will be midfielder Hannah Dorney, a captain in 2023 who led the Irish with 28 caused turnovers. Enter Dooley, the 2022 Pac-12 defensive player of the year and an absolute caused turnover machine. As other ACC teams load up on offense, Notre Dame’s addition of Dooley will be key in slowing them down.

Madison Doucette, G (Northwestern to Johns Hopkins)

Doucette isn’t your traditional transfer, as the former Northwestern goalie used 2023 as a gap year. While away from the playing field, she watched as her former teammates captured an NCAA championship. So, Doucette decided to return as a member of Northwestern’s Big Ten rival, Johns Hopkins, now coached by Tim McCormack, who was impactful in recruiting her to Evanston. Doucette’s ball-stopping skills could make her an asset if she beats out incumbent goalie Maggie Tydings, who saved 38.3 percent of shots in her first year as the Jays’ starter. You can read more about Doucette’s gap year in this feature by Beth Ann Mayer.

Jane Earley, A (Middlebury to Denver)

The most intriguing add from the portal was made by Denver, a team seeking some offensive punch to help out its history-making defense. Olivia Penoyer and Payton Vaughn both come over from Yale, but they’re proven commodities in Division I. Earley simply dominated Division III, winning three national championships and two national player of the year awards at Middlebury. The polished scorer is also an established draw threat, notching 138 in 2023, which was second-most in program history. Abby Jenkins, Trinity McPherson and Sam Thacker return as playmakers on the draw for the Pios, but adding Earley certainly won’t hurt. She has the potential to impact Denver in more ways than one.

Sarah Falk, M (Albany to Florida)

Few teams (and individual players) raised their stock more than Albany and Sarah Falk last May. By beating Virginia in the NCAA tournament, Albany was one of the best stories of the postseason. Falk was at the center of the Great Danes’ playoff run, notching 22 of her single-season program record 72 goals during the final four games of the season. Her seven goals against Virginia all came in the second half and were crucial to the Danes’ win. Falk parlayed that performance into a chance at Florida, which suddenly has a massive opening on offense after the departure of Emma LoPinto. Falk is a well-rounded threat who should translate well to the AAC as a graduate student.

Ashley Humphrey, A (Stanford to TBD)

There’s still no official word on where Ashley Humphrey will land. She’s isn’t listed any 2023-24 rosters, and while sources say North Carolina could be a landing spot to play with her younger sister (and top Inside Lacrosse freshman) Chloe, UNC has not confirmed the addition. Either way, the team that brings in Humphrey is going to reap the benefits of a record-holding distributor. As a redshirt-freshman in 2022, she set the NCAA’s single-season assists record with 88. She followed that with a more balanced season in 2023 (33 goals, 42 assists). Humphrey is a capable quarterback who can play behind the cage and initiate.

Madison McPherson, M (Johns Hopkins to Stanford)

Stanford is adding an all-around threat in McPherson, the younger sister of Denver’s Trinity McPherson. The new Stanford star did a little bit of everything in four years at Johns Hopkins, accumulating 37 goals, eight assists, 85 draw controls, 49 caused turnovers and 90 ground balls. Stanford remains deep in the midfield, and offense isn’t a problem for the Cardinal, but Danielle Spencer could use a boost on the defensive side, and that’s potentially where McPherson can make the biggest impact.

Arden Tierney, A (Richmond to Notre Dame)

Notre Dame is loading up after being the only unseeded team in the NCAA quarterfinals. The Irish welcome Tierney to the fold this fall after a career at Richmond in which she produced gaudy offensive numbers — 239 points on 135 goals and 104 assists and 405 draw controls. It’s not as if Notre Dame was lacking on the offensive side (Jackie Wolak, Madison Ahern and Kasey Choma are all back) or on the draw (Kelly Denes and Mary Kelly Doherty return, too), but it never hurts to have options. If Tierney isn’t bothered by the jump from the Atlantic 10 to the ACC, and she hasn’t shown any reason why she would be, then this has the potential to be one of the biggest additions of the summer.

OTHER NOTABLE TRANSFERS

Kayla Downey, Coastal Carolina to Virginia Tech; Alex Finn, UMass to Stony Brook; Carli Fleisher, Northwestern to Penn; Lindsey Frank, Richmond to Northwestern; Hannah Heller, UMass to Florida; Nicole Humphrey, North Carolina to USC; Johanna Kingsfield, Northwestern to Georgetown; Olivia Penoyer, Yale to Denver; Mary Schumar, Marquette to Northwestern; Melissa Sconone, North Carolina to Hofstra; Payton Vaughn, Yale to Denver.