Butler County girls lacrosse all-stars: Meet the 2026 player of the year, first team, honorable mentions
The girls lacrosse scene in Butler County this spring featured prolific goal scorers, players who possess the ability to set up teammates for success and defenders with a nose for the ball.
It was not just upperclassmen attracting the spotlight, either. A strong group of sophomores made their presence felt, with several of them earning spots on the Butler Eagle’s 2026 girls lacrosse all-star team, which is recognized below with our player of the year, first team and honorable mentions.
Anna McGrath, sr., M, Mars: Four years ago, McGrath brought her athletic potential from California to the Mars Area School District.
The result was no shortage of individual and team success.
She became a starter for the Planets near the end of her freshman year and just closed a playing career that included 158 goals, 99 assists and 208 draw controls … and four WPIAL Class 2A championships.
“I started playing lacrosse with my sister (Tess) when we were in sixth grade in southern California,” Anna said. “I was excited to join a new team at Mars. Our coach (Abby Latona) played in college, and she brings a lot of energy to the team.”
And Anna McGrath brought a lot of productivity to the field this season: 57 goals, 37 assists, 22 ground balls, 31 caused turnovers and 61 draw controls. She was a unanimous choice for the Butler Eagle’s player of the year honor.
Latona did not hold back on her thoughts of what McGrath brought to the team.
“She is dominant all over the field, a phenomenal athlete and one of the grittiest and poised players against every team we played.”
McGrath will focus strictly on academics in college at Notre Dame.
“With this being my last year, I wanted to leave it all out there,” she said. “I’m grateful for this (POTY) accolade. I put in a lot of work leading up to this year.”
Lucy Balazs, jr., M, Mars: Contributed in every major field category for the WPIAL 2A champions. Scored 37 goals and added nine assists, picked up 22 ground balls and caused 30 turnovers. Also controlled 102 draws. Was named Second Team Section 2.
Katie Blake, jr., A, Mars: Paced the Planets with 89 goals and dished out 21 assists. Caused 15 turnovers and had 26 draw controls. Earned First Team Section 2 honors.
Samy Brennan, jr., M, North Catholic: Influenced play on both ends of the field, scoring 19 goals and played shutdown defense. Also won 65% of the draws she competed for.
Macey Edwards, jr., M, Freeport: Broke the school record for goals in a single season with 64, and became the first player in program history to reach 100 career goals. Added 31 assists, 49 caused turnovers and 106 draw controls this spring.
Sophia Glass, so., A, Freeport: Helped the Yellowjackets reach the WPIAL playoffs for the first time ever by scoring 49 goals and adding 21 assists and 13 caused turnovers.
Taryn Hilovsky, sr., A, Butler: The Golden Tornado’s offensive leader scored more than 150 goals in her varsity career. Will play in college at Lenoir-Rhyne University (N.C.).
Niki Lefcakis, so., D, Mars: Was the leader of Mars' defense, scooping 23 ground balls and forcing 39 turnovers. Was named First Team Section 2.
Abigail Legin, sr., G, Freeport: Her 132 saves this season broke a program record. She became the first player in program history to record 500 career saves.
Hailey Long, jr., M/Draw Specialist, Mars: The Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) commit tallied 83 goals, 20 assists, 28 ground balls and 21 caused turnovers. Also controlled 109 draws. Earned First Team Section 2 honors.
Ashlyn Matteson, jr., D, Butler: Dependable and physical, she was regularly matched up against opposing teams’ top offensive threats.
Tess McGrath, sr., A, Mars: The All-WPIAL selection proved adept at finding the net and helping teammates do the same, scoring 45 goals and adding 28 assists.
Josephine Spehar, so., D, Freeport: Keyed the Yellowjackets' defensive effort with 37 caused turnovers, while chipping in three goals and two assists.
Campbell Clouse, jr., G, Butler; Emerson McGarrah, so., M, Butler; Reeve Swanson, fr., M, Butler; Alyssa Lovgren, jr., M, Freeport; Kate Geary, sr., A, North Catholic; Mia Gauthier, jr., D, North Catholic; Alaina Wencil, jr., A, Seneca Valley
