COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – University of Colorado Colorado Springs head women's lacrosse coach Brice Queener has announced the addition of 13 student-athletes who will join the Mountain Lions for the 2027 season.
 
The signing class includes Lizzie Belton (Dallas, Ga.), Ava Clausen (Prior Lake, Minn.), Emmaline Conner (The Woodlands, Texas), Ella Gessner (Baltimore, Md.), Kendra Huet (Winter Springs, Fla.), Avery May (Aurora, Colo.), Madelyn McGinness (Arvada, Colo.), Kalista McMillon (El Segundo, Calif.), Teigan Mechels-Struby (LaVista, Neb.), Miley Ryckert (Denver, Colo.), Reilly Sears (Broomfield, Colo.), Alexaundra Szcuka (Orange County, Calif.), and Elora Waardenburg (Cobble Hill, British Columbia).
 
"We couldn't be more excited to announce the addition of this class to our Mountain Lion Lacrosse Family!" said Queener. "Each member of this group has a unique skill set that will help us continue to compete for RMAC and National Championships in the future. We can't wait to start working with them soon!"
 
Elizabeth Belton transfers to UCCS after two seasons at Keiser University, where she earned First Team All-America honors in each of her two seasons. A two-time First Team All-Sun Conference selection, Belton was named to the Conference All-Tournament Team and National Championship All-Tournament Team in 2025. She also received Keiser Defensive Player of the Year, Sun Conference Player of the Week and IWLCA Player of the Week honors while helping the Seahawks win the 2025 Sun Conference Championship. Belton graduated from North Paulding High School, where she was named Paulding County Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Area and Second Team All-State while helping lead her team to three consecutive region championships.
 
Ava Clausen joins the Mountain Lions from Prior Lake High School after helping the Lakers win the 2025 Minnesota State Championship. She earned Varsity Rookie of the Year honors and was a varsity letterwinner while contributing to multiple conference and section championships. Clausen was also a member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and participated in several student leadership and community service organizations.
 
Emmaline Conner arrives after a four-year varsity career at Tomball High School. A two-time team captain, she recorded more than 200 saves during her final two seasons while earning Defensive MVP and back-to-back D1 All-District honors. Conner helped lead Tomball to the 2025 Texas Division I state championship game, the best finish in program history. She also graduated among the top 50 students in her class and participated in National Honor Society and the Texas Association of Future Educators.
 
Ella Gessner joins UCCS from Roland Park Country School in Baltimore. She was a three-time Honor Roll student and served as president of the Spikeball Club while participating in several student organizations.
 
Kendra Huet comes to UCCS after earning USA Lacrosse Academic All-America honors in 2025 and Second Team All-Conference recognition. During her sophomore and junior seasons, she totaled 161 ground balls, 148 draw controls and 59 goals. Huet also served in multiple student leadership roles, including senior class president, and was a member of National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta.
 
Avery May transfers to UCCS after one season at Rider University, where she appeared in 11 games and recorded 56 saves while helping the Broncs reach the first MAAC Tournament appearance in program history. She earned MAAC All-Academic Team honors in 2026. At Grandview High School, May finished with 573 career saves and was a two-time Academic All-State First Team selection, two-time Centennial League Honorable Mention and two-time Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Madelyn McGinness joins the Mountain Lions from Ralston Valley High School in Arvada, Colo., where she competed as a midfielder for the Mustangs.  McGinness saw action in 13 games and tallied 37 points behind 13 goals and a team-leading 24 assists.
 
Kalista McMillon arrives after a four-year varsity career at El Segundo High School. During her sophomore and junior seasons, she totaled 68 goals, 105 assists, 198 draw controls, 111 ground balls and 57 caused turnovers. She earned two First Team All-Ocean League selections, Ocean League MVP honors, two Team MVP awards and an All-America nomination. McMillon helped lead El Segundo to the 2025 Ocean League championship and a CIF Division I runner-up finish.
 
Teigan Mechels-Struby joins UCCS from Westside High School in La Vista, Neb., where she competed for the Sarpy Knights due to lacrosse not being sanctioned as a high school sport in Nebraska. She averaged 3.0 goals, 1.1 assists and 3.3 draw controls per game during her high school career. A three-time First Team All-Conference selection, Mechels-Struby was named the 2025 Sarpy Knights MVP and was an All-America nominee in 2024 and 2025. She was also a member of the Sarpy Knights 100 Point Club after recording more than 100 points and 100 draw controls. Mechels-Struby helped the Sarpy Knights make four playoff appearances and win three NGFLL championships from 2022-25. She was a three-time Honor Roll student and a member of National Honor Society, Medical Club and Student Council.
 
Miley Ryckert joins UCCS after a standout career at Denver East High School, where she competed in both lacrosse and field hockey. Through her junior season, she totaled 97 goals, 19 assists, 118 ground balls and 234 draw controls while earning three First Team All-League selections, two Second Team All-State honors and First Team Academic All-State recognition in both lacrosse and field hockey. Ryckert helped Denver East win its first league championship since 2018 and first state playoff game since 2019.
 
Reilly Sears recorded 124 goals, 41 assists and 165 points through her first three varsity seasons. A two-time Team MVP and CHSAA/MaxPreps All-State Honorable Mention selection, she finished her prep career as Horizon High School's career leader in goals and points. Sears also helped lead the program to its first two state playoff victories.
 
Alexaundra Szczuka earned First Team All-League, Second Team All-League and All-CIF honors during her career at Santa Margarita Catholic High School. She helped the Eagles reach three CIF Division I quarterfinals and one CIF Division I championship game while also competing in cross country, soccer and ECNL club soccer.
 
Elora Waardenburg transfers to UCCS after one season at McKendree University. As a freshman, she started all 17 games and recorded 38 goals, 16 assists and 54 points while earning GLVC Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-GLVC honors. Prior to McKendree, she attended Frances Kelsey Secondary School, where she was named the 2024 Sportsperson of the Year and served as captain of the girls' lacrosse team.
 
The Mountain Lions posted a 10-6 overall record and an 8-2 RMAC record in 2026, claiming the first RMAC regular season championship in program history. UCCS also recorded its first-ever victories over Colorado Mesa University and Regis University during the season.
 
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As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics.