Michigan
7-3, 2-1
Penn State
9-3, 1-2
Michigan Earns Wire-to-Wire Victory over No. 21 Penn State
3/22/2026 3:01:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
» Michigan improved to 2-0 in conference play with the win over Penn State.
» The win marked U-M's fourth victory over a ranked opponent this season.
» Ava Class led the Wolverines offensively with a five-point outing.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's lacrosse team earned a decisive 11-6 Big Ten Conference victory over No. 21 Penn State on Sunday (March 22) at Panzer Stadium.
The win over a ranked opponent marked Michigan's fourth of the season and moved the Wolverines (7-2, 2-0 B1G) to a perfect 2-0 in conference play.
The Wolverines were paced by Ava Class, who recorded five points with four goals and one assist, while Caroline Byrd added four points on two goals and two assists. Calli Norris and Ceci Stein each chipped in three points with two goals and one assist apiece.
Michigan won the draw control battle, 12-7, against the Nittany Lions (9-2, 1-1 B1G), as Emma Burke secured six and Grace Callahan added three. Callahan also contributed one caused turnover and three ground balls, while Taylor Cullen posted two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
U-M opened the contest on a 3-0 run, including two free-position goals from Class, but Penn State responded with a pair of its own, capitalizing on a woman-up opportunity with 7:04 remaining in the first quarter. Byrd scored on Michigan's third free-position attempt to give the Wolverines a 4-2 lead heading into the second quarter.
Stein opened the scoring in the second quarter with her second goal of the day, banking a shot off the post to extend the lead to 5-2 with 13:36 remaining in the half. Class completed her hat trick, and Norris added a pair of goals, including a bar-down finish through a double team, to push Michigan's advantage to 9-2 late in the quarter. Penn State scored the final two goals of the half, as U-M carried a 9-4 lead into the break.
Class led Michigan with four points in the first half, while Norris and Stein each recorded three. Callahan paced the defense with three ground balls and a caused turnover.
The Wolverines held Penn State scoreless in the third quarter and added one goal, as Class netted her fourth of the game to extend the lead to 10-4 entering the final 15 minutes.
Byrd added an insurance goal for Michigan before Penn State attempted a late push with two goals in the final seven minutes, but it was not enough as the Wolverines secured the wire-to-wire victory.
Michigan returns to U-M Lacrosse Stadium for a midweek non-conference contest Thursday (March 26) against Denver at 5 p.m. on B1G+.
