WROCLAW, POLAND - Lenoir-Rhyne head women's lacrosse coach Shannon McHale led the New Zealand Women's National Team to a bronze medal at the DII World Lacrosse Championships in Wroclaw, Poland. 

The New Zealand squad went 5-0 in pool play, defeating Spain, Netherlands, South Africa, Korea, and Latvia by a combined score of 68-25. They fell 10-5 to eventual champions Italy in the semi-final before defeating Korea 8-7 in a tightly contested bronze medal game.

New Zealand was led on offense by Sarah Butler, who scored 15 goals and dished out nine assists in her seven games played. Goalkeeper Lizzie Hardiman ranked second in the field with a 64% save percentage. Lenoir-Rhyne commit Gemma McCall was fifth on the team with 11 points, coming off nine goals and two assists. This team also featured a second LR commit, Piper Russell. 

McHale enters her fourth year at the helm of the Lenoir-Rhyne women's lacrosse program in the 2026-27. She has turned the Bears into a South Atlantic Conference contender, leading the team to back-to-back double-digit wins and the program's first SAC Championship game appearance since 2019.