Maddison Lesher, the only ever three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and a DI assistant immediately after graduation, joined head coach Jill Batcheller at Villanova in August 2021.
Lesher arrived on the Main Line after previously serving as an assistant coach under Batcheller for the last six years at Drexel University and Bryant University.
Lesher helped lead the Wildcats to one of the best seasons in program history during 2025, earning the squad its first ever BIG EAST title game berth and the best league regular season finish ever as the second seed for the conference tournament. A league-high eight Wildcats were named All-BIG EAST, including back-to-back nods for starting defender Maddy Stoddard.
2024 saw Lesher and the 'Cats pick up a berth in the BIG EAST Tournament after beating Marquette on the final day of the regular season to finish at .500 in league play and earn the fourth seed.
In her second season with the ‘Cats during 2023, Lesher assisted in the Wildcats' 12-6 overall record and 4-3 BIG EAST mark. The ‘Cats took wins over BIG EAST rivals Butler, Georgetown, and Xavier twice.
Lesher, alongside Batcheller and Donnelly, propelled the Wildcats to wins against George Washington, La Salle, Lafayette, UC Davis and BIG EAST rival Butler.
In Lesher's final season at Drexel, she directed a defensive effort that ranked 35th in the country, holding opponents to 11 goals per game and causing 7.19 turnovers per game. At Bryant, the team led the NEC in goals against average and save percentage in 2017 and finished second in the conference in 2018.
As a student-athlete, Lesher was a defender at Loyola Maryland from 2013-2016. She was named the first ever three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time defensive All-American. She was drafted by the Baltimore Ride in the United Women's Lacrosse League draft in May 2016 and previously played for the Philadelphia Fire in the Women's Professional Lacrosse League.
Lesher earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication from Loyola in 2016.
