By Dalton Ray —

Since the start of the 2016 fall semester, 16 women’s lacrosse players have transferred or left the program. Most recently, four members — juniors Elise Koehl, Casey Cummo, Allison Ferrara and sophomore Katie Caddigan — reportedly left the team on Oct. 24.

The bulk of the lost players came after the 2017 season, in which 10 players transferred. Meghan Siverson and Brittany Read, both All-ACC players, were the two most notable of the losses.

Prior to the start of the season, three freshmen — Allie Arcidiacono, Mary Rose Hitt and Annicka Ekvall — left the team. Freshmen leaving a program isn’t uncommon, but this was only a foreshadow of what was to come.

After the conclusion of the season, the first domino to fall was freshman Alex Rich. Fellow freshmen Chloe Harris, Lexy Biller, Ashley Lynch and Emily Petillo soon followed.

Of the 10 freshmen that joined the program last season, only three remained after the season.

Sophomores McKayla Conti and Sarah L’Heureux also transferred, bringing the number to a staggering 12 transfers in the academic year.

In an interview with coach Kellie Young in August, Young said the number of transfers were sad and surprising. Young soon found out there were chemistry issues between players and the off-field controversies played a role in the off-season transfers.

When asked about the loss of Read and Siverson, Young said she felt their leaving was because of the “landslide” of lost players before them.

Once parents and players caught wind of the multiple transfers, Young had several discussions with players and their parents to hear their concerns.

In the August interview, Young said she was “proud of the players who returned” because “they chose to keep attacking.”

The current roster is made up of nine seniors, two grad-students, two sophomores and nine freshmen.

Of the 16 players that have left the program, seven of them are currently on active rosters — Siverson (Maryland), Read (Oregon), Tiller (Oregon), Conti (Ohio State), Rich (Penn State), Petillo (Florida), Harris (Jacksonville) and Ekvall (Chapman).

No players could be reached for comments. Young could not be reached for a statement on the latest transfers.

You can follow Dalton Ray on Twitter @dray5477. 

Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal