DUDLEY, Mass. (2/5/2026) – The Nichols women's lacrosse program is preparing to kick off their 2026 season as they've brought in a new strong class of fresh students and some refined returners ready to hit the field. The Bison, who finished last year with a strong 13-4-1 (5-3-1 CNE) record, look to build upon the successful season and push further in the CNE playoffs after losing to Endicott last year in the semifinals.
Head coach
William Mraz enters his 7th season guiding the WLAX program. Under Mraz, the program made a huge impact on the defensive end, ranking first in caused turnovers per game and ranking third in save percentage with .418 on the 2025 season.
A new edition to the coaching staff this season is, graduate assistant
Hadley Houghton '25, a Nichols women's lacrosse alum who enjoyed a record-breaking four-year career as a starter, finishing as the program's all-time leader in points, goals, assists, and draw controls while earning multiple CCC/CNE First Team honors.
The Bison enter the season after losing 13 players, including six seniors to graduation, highlighted by standout performers
Hadley Houghton and
McKenzie Muir. To bolster their roster, Nichols added eight newcomers, featuring two transfers and six first-year players.
With much of the senior leadership departing, the Bison will look to returning players to step into larger roles. Senior
Emma Patton returns after finishing second on the team in goals with 41 and ranking third in draw controls while starting every game last season, finishing 9th in shots per game in the conference. Fellow senior
Makala Dube also had a strong 2025 campaign, tallying 24 goals and placing second on the team in assists with 15. Defensively, senior goalkeeper
Briar Slattery anchors the unit after recording 115 saves last year, while junior Addison Whitty remains a key contributor after posting 20 caused turnovers, the third-most on the team.
The Bison will open the 2025–26 campaign at home on March 4 against Rivier University, with a 7:00 p.m. start time at Vendetti Field.
