After capturing back-to-back Liberty League Championships and securing a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament the past two seasons, the Bombers women’s lacrosse team have consistently risen above expectations and proven themselves as a dominant force in Ithaca College athletics.

However, their success has been plagued with hardships: limited field time, injuries and most importantly, declining team size.

Since the 2023 season, IC has had 10 players leave the team, three of those taking place during the player’s first-year. Senior defender Phoebe Hosford explained the impact of these players moving on from the team.

“It kind of made everyone reflect and take a day to process.” Hosford said. “It hasn’t also just been underclassman, it’s people all over the board.”

The record

The Bombers typically stood within the average number of players for Division III teams, which is 21-22 players in recent years. However, top-performing teams like the Bombers, generally operate with larger numbers in the Liberty League.

From 2019-2022, IC held about 28–30 players on the team, before winning any titles and becoming a top-performer. Since then, that number stayed consistent until the 2024 season.

“Everyone quits for their own reasons and you have to be respectful and try and understand.” Hosford said.

“But it is hard to see another one from your class, that you’ve gone through the six am practices, the nine am conditioning, going through that with people heading into the last year, the final hurrah, them not being able to do that anymore,” Hosford added. “It sucks but you have to understand that.”

From 2019-2022, IC only had two players quit the team. According to the roster from these years, most players stayed and graduated from this team when they were seniors so seeing this huge jump of two players to 10 sparked significance.

Playing healthy

According to a sports psychology study done by Kean University, many athletes step away from their sports due to mental health. However, the reasons for these lacrosse athletes leaving is unknown.

Leading the team as four-year seniors, Phoebe Hosford, Leigh Naturale, Lily Cody, and Katelyn Ikle have provided stability during a period marked by roster turnover.

“Since we are a very small team, we are very close knit, and it’s very healthy and we want to push each other to be the best.” Naturale said. “We have three words and it’s invest, grow and compete, which I think really shows how our team is.”

However, culture can easily lack a spark when the team is constantly changing. For these four seniors, it wasn’t easy. Just after the 2025 season, two of the upcoming seniors quit the team.

What made these four seniors stay? After years of being a part of this group and consistently losing teammates, how did they maintain that loyalty?

“I stayed because I never felt like I was done.” Ikle said. “I had more to prove”.

Ikle saw more opportunities on the field in gameplay during her junior season, where she appeared in 15 matchups. Now, in the 2026 season, her talent has been used within the face-off circle as a midfielder.

With a dwindling upperclassman group, Cody stepped up as captain her junior and senior season, as the team started to lean on the younger class for leadership.

“The reason I stayed on this team is obviously the connections and things I’ve learned inside and outside of lacrosse.” Cody said. “This team has made me a better woman than just a lacrosse player based on the relationships I’ve made the connections I’ve made and the person I’ve been able to grow into.”

A coach’s perspective

Head Coach Karrie Moore welcomed in Hosford, Cody, Ikle, and Naturale, along with another four first-years in the 2023 season. She said how in preparation for their last season, these core four bring immense experience and they care a lot about making sure they set an example for the underclassman on the team.

“I think when you have your seniors leading from the front like that, I think it is a really good sign for your team.” Moore said.

She explained the seniors have different strengths and do a really good job of bringing that to the table. “When people do that, when they lead with what they’re good at I think they feel more comfortable and more confident.” Moore said.

The Bombers are focused on the season ahead with goals to win their third Liberty League Championship as well as a spot in the NCAA Tournament once again. For this season, two first-year recruits, midfielders Anna Dahlman and Aubrey Holowinksi, already started in their Ithaca College women’s lacrosse debut against SUNY Brockport, where they both scored their first collegiate goals. The team has already set the tone for the season, building early momentum with a 2–0 start.