Double up on awards
Wildcats’ Lakosky, Esposito earn GLIAC lacrosse weekly honors
Northern Michigan University netminder Lauren Esposito, right, makes a save during a GLIAC lacrosse match played against Concordia-St. Paul at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Josie Lakosky looks for a teammate to pass to during a GLIAC women’s lacrosse game played against Saginaw Valley State at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University players celebrate their win over Davenport immediately after their GLIAC lacrosse game at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University netminder Lauren Esposito, right, makes a save during a GLIAC lacrosse match played against Concordia-St. Paul at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday, April 4, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University’s Josie Lakosky looks for a teammate to pass to during a GLIAC women’s lacrosse game played against Saginaw Valley State at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Friday, March 20, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Northern Michigan University players celebrate their win over Davenport immediately after their GLIAC lacrosse game at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Friday, April 10, 2026. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Trending
MARQUETTE -- Two honors for the price of one game.
Sounds like a good deal for the lacrosse team at Northern Michigan University, which picked up both Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference weekly awards in the sport after its victory on the road on Saturday.
The Wildcats defeated Concordia-St. Paul 15-7 in St. Paul, Minnesota, cementing Northern's second-place finish in the conference at 6-2 in GLIAC games and 12-4 overall.
A major part of the dominance in that game can be attributed to a pair of juniors -- attacker Josie Lakosky, who earned the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, and goalkeeper Lauren Esposito, who was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
While it was Lakosky's fifth weekly award this spring -- and fourth in the past six weeks -- it was Esposito's first such honor in 2026.
Lakosky, a 5-foot-7 native of Victoria, Minnesota, just continued adding to her record-breaking season as she's now the holder -- or in one case, sharing the lead -- in every season scoring record in the 10-year history of the NMU lacrosse program.
Against the Golden Bears in the Twin Cities, Lakosky notched five goals and was credited with a season-high four assists to total nine points, the eighth time this season she had at least that many points in a game.
She now has 96 goals and 36 assists for 132 points, needing one more assist to break her tie with Minnie Bittell's 36 she put up in 2024 to also hold that record as her own.
Lakosky is already two dozen goals and two dozen points ahead of Bittell's record-setting numbers from that same year for those statistics.
Lakosky has also twice won another weekly award this season, the National Offensive Player of the Week from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.
Esposito, a 5-4 native of Canal Fulton, Ohio, is noted in her online biography at nmuwildcats.com as the granddaughter of Chicago Blackhawks and Michigan Tech hockey goaltending great Tony Esposito.
The younger Esposito earned her first GLIAC weekly award this season after matching her career high with 13 saves vs. C-SP, posting a .650 saves percentage, and adding five ground balls.
Esposito set the Wildcats' career wins and games-started records earlier this season. She also has 330 career saves in 50 career games, both equaling the mark of No. 1 -- now co-No. 1 -- Cam Stilson from 2019-23.
Both these players and their teammates will put aside these awards and records on Friday, when NMU takes on C-SP (6-10, 3-5 GLIAC) again in the GLIAC Tournament semifinals at 7:30 p.m. in downstate Allendale. The other semi features No. 1 seed Grand Valley State (10-7, 8-0) vs. No. 4 Davenport (9-8, 3-5) at 4:30 p.m.
Semifinal winners meet at noon Sunday for the GLIAC Tournament championship.
Story contents based on Northern Michigan University Sports Information press release reviewing the honors. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.