Hailey Wagner’s mentality has always been “just a little bit different.”

Marist women’s lacrosse coach Jessica Wilkinson took notice immediately. As a freshman, Wagner just carried herself in a unique way. She worked a little harder, lifted a little harder and studied a little harder.

Now, it’s getting even harder to win the draw against her.

Wagner, a senior for the Red Foxes, led the nation with 8.82 draw controls per game last season for 10-7 Marist. She helped the Red Foxes earn the top seed in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament after a four-way tie at 6-2, but the Red Foxes fell victim to Canisius in an early playoff exit.

Naturally, Wagner is motivated to put Marist on top before she graduates.

“I am more in this mindset this season of leaving a solid foundation for the team once I graduate,” Wagner said. “I want to make sure it’s not a freefall on the draw. I want to make sure Marist is known for its draw unit, not just one draw girl.”

Typically someone who thrives off the self-draw, Wagner is quick to deflect praise to those who help her outside the draw circle. She quickly rattled off the names of Camille Renaud, Logan Boyle, Romy Villemure and Jessica Lasaponara before addressing her own success.

“It’s a personal record, but it’s also a reflection of the collaboration between me and my teammates,” Wagner said.

Wilkinson said she wishes Wagner would give herself more credit. Off the field, Wagner spends more time than asked watching film, strategizing and preparing for different scenarios. She wants to be one or two – maybe even three – steps ahead of whatever an opposing draw-taker could throw at her.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s something that she does in her free time for fun,” Wilkinson said. “I think it’s become a lifestyle for her.”

Her passion for preparation has trickled down to the younger members of the team, and it was something that Wilkinson said allowed her to earn the respect of her veteran teammates during her freshman season.

Whether it’s doing an extra lift or taking extra draws with assistant coach Nicole Troost, Wagner is almost always doing something related to her craft.

“She puts in more work than any other player, in my opinion,” Wilkinson said. “She’s really paved the way for those who want to achieve something great.”

It all stems from a simple goal: to make Marist better.

“This is the way I contribute most to my team,” Wagner said of her draw excellence.

That said, she appreciates the success and the glory of holding a few records.

Her name is sprinkled throughout the Marist program record book. She’s the program’s career leader in draw controls (349), the single-game draw control leader (21) and the single-season draw control leader (151), while also ranking 10th in career assists (48).

Not bad for a player with another year left to either increase her marks or inch closer to even more.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s really exciting,” Wagner said. “It’s something I take a lot of pride in. I was lucky enough that when I came in as a freshman, I wasn’t just looked at as a FOGO.”

Her motivations for the spring season extend far beyond personal records, though. If she had her way, Marist would earn another top spot in the MAAC tournament and advance to the NCAA tournament.

“It’s our time to the MAAC,” Wagner said in no uncertain terms. After all, she’s always had a different air about her.

“Her mentality as a player, honestly, it’s all or nothing,” Wilkinson said. “She had a mentality that was just a little bit of a different player than the other players in her class as a freshman.”

Fall Focus
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference

Fairfield overcame its No. 3 seed to win the MAAC last season, doing so against fourth-seeded Canisius on top-seeded Marist’s home turf. One of the most closely contested conferences a season ago with four 6-2 teams, the MAAC should be exciting yet again. Teams are listed in order of last year’s final standings.

Marist
6-2 MAAC, 10-7 Overall

With Hailey Wagner returning, securing possession shouldn’t be a problem. That’s good news for the offense. Three of the Red Foxes’ top five point-getters return from last season in Wagner, Kelly George and Samantha Mehalick, as does 24-goal scorer Camille Renaud.

Monmouth
6-2 MAAC, 8-10 Overall

The second-seed in the MAAC tournament lost to Fairfield 17-9 in the semifinals, but it was the highest the program was ever seeded. The Hawks hope to make strides this spring with junior Nicole Ceraso coming off a 23-goal, 37-assist season.

Fairfield
6-2 MAAC, 13-7 Overall

Fairfield’s third NCAA championship tournament appearance didn’t go as planned after an 18-2 loss to Loyola. Still, the MAAC champions return 23 members from that team. Senior Megan Beach was named to the All-MAAC first team last season.

Canisius
6-2 MAAC, 11-9 Overall

Having made it to the MAAC championship final in eight straight seasons, Canisius has been one of the conference’s most consistent programs. Jourdan Roember, the reigning conference offensive player of the year, returns after tallying an MAAC-best 4.2 points per game.

Niagara
5-3 MAAC, 8-10 Overall

Rachel MacCheyne led the team with 75 points, a .431 shooting percentage and 108 draw controls in 18 games, making her one of the top all-around threats in the conference. Niagara ended its season with back-to-back losses to Canisius.

Iona
3-5 MAAC, 8-10 Overall

Last spring’s highlight was a crucial 12-11 win over Marist in late April, but the Gaels are hungry for more consistency. Goalkeeper Shannon McCaffrey, who preserved the win over Marist with a free-position save with four seconds left, returns for her senior season.

Manhattan
2-6 MAAC, 5-11 Overall

The Jaspers missed out on a postseason berth on the last day of the regular season, but returners Emma Kaishian and Nikki Prestiano are hoping to reverse that fortune. Kaishian was an all-conference second team defender, while Prestiano allowed a career-low 11.39 goals against.

Siena
1-7 MAAC, 5-12 Overall

There’s good, young talent at Siena, as Kerry Gerety was the conference rookie of the year after she had 23 goals, 12 assists and a team-high 67 draw controls. Alexis Deaken also earned conference acclaim, making the MAAC first team after she was rookie of the year in 2017.

Quinnipiac
1-7 MAAC, 5-11 Overall

Senior attack Allison Kuhn and needs 20 goals to become the ninth player in program history to reach 100. Sophomores Avery Drouin and Maddy Lamagna were named to the MAAC all-rookie team and could take on even larger roles.