The 2024 season was a successful one for the Riverton girls lacrosse team. The Silverwolves are hoping for the same—if not more—in 2025. 

Riverton won the Region 2 championship last season by winning nine of its 10 league matches. Overall, Riverton was an impressive 16-3, winning more games than all but one team—the other Silverwolves, Fremont—in Class 6A. Riverton fell short of a chance to play for the 6A title when it lost to region rival Mountain Ridge in the semifinals, 13-12. 

Every season brings some change, but the 2025 campaign has a big one for Riverton. The Silverwolves have a new coach. 

Hannah Kelleher takes the reins of the Riverton program, and she has a lot to work with. 

A strong group of seniors lead the team. Kelleher is thrilled to have the leadership and talents of attacker Berkley Elsasser, attacker Emma Pennington, midfielder Grace Jenson, attacker Izzy Blunck, midfielder Katelee McArthur and defender Sela Tufisi. These six seniors have experience at a high level and bring the production to the lineup that Kelleher is looking for. Pennington led the Silverwolves in goals last season with 57 to go along with 13 assists. Blunck was the second-leading goal-scorer and second in points last season with 50 and 74, respectively (she had 24 assists). Jenson contributed 42 goals and 27 assists a season ago. 

Optimism is high at Riverton, and Kelleher said the girls are matching those positive feelings with effort and dedication.

“The players know they are capable of a really good season, so their mindset as the season begins is to work hard so we can reach our goals,” Kelleher said. “Everyone is feeling really good about the season. We have been practicing since the fall and putting in a lot of extra work, so the players are excited to finally get out on the field to play other teams.”

While it’s not uncommon to hear a coach or player say their team’s goal is to win state, Kelleher believes this objective is realistic. The Silverwolves lost only four players from last season’s state semifinalists. She said the girls are hungry to be even better this season and play for the top prize in 6A. 

“Our goal is to win state,” Kelleher said. “Everyone’s goal is obviously that, but it is very tangible for us. We want to go all the way this year.”

Of course, having talent and experience isn’t enough. Kelleher knows that even having the desire to win state, combined with these other traits, won’t guarantee anything for her team. She said her players need to do the little things every day at practice and in every game to be the top team in 6A. 

“Everyone has to stay focused and focus on the controllables,” Kelleher said. “If we show up to practice and get a little better each day, that’s a win. We are focused on the little success that will lead to big success. This season we have really focused on doing the little things right and improving the fundamentals. If we have solid fundamentals, the sky is our limit.”

The Silvewolves boast a formidable starting lineup, with dangerous attackers, good goalkeeping, solid defense and a midfield that can control the game. But Kelleher said perhaps the team’s biggest strength is its depth. There are plenty of other capable players Kelleher can turn to when a starter needs a rest or suffers an injury or when she simply needs to shake up the lineup. Kelleher also loves the way the girls play together and how much camaraderie and good communication the team enjoys. She also said team speed will be a strength.

“We have such a deep bench,” she said. “We are starting a solid 12 players and then have an additional nine on the bench that would be starting at other programs. Everyone trusts each other on the field, which makes it easy to play as a team. We also have above-average speed on our team that I don’t think other teams will be able to keep up with.”

Not even the best teams in the state are perfect, and Kelleher knows Riverton has some things to work on. 

“We want to continue to improve the fundamentals like ground balls and stick skills,” she said. “We are working to increase the players’ lacrosse IQ and field awareness so they can see when the opportunities are there or when they might be forcing a play.”

Kelleher is also emphasizing mental toughness. Though she believes there isn’t a team Riverton can’t beat, she knows her girls could stumble. After a setback, she wants to make sure the girls can shake it off and get back on track.

“I think the biggest challenge is going to be bouncing back after a potential loss,” she said. “The players have such high hopes for the season that I could see a loss bringing their spirits down a little bit.”

For a first-year coach, Kelleher said she couldn’t be more pleased with the group of girls and assistant coaches she has to work with. 

“I have a really talented crew, and they all get along,” she said. “There is mutual respect between the players and coaches, so it makes coaching really fun. We have a lot of fun and joke around, but we also make the most out of every minute to continue getting better. It’s a special group of girls, and it’s a privilege to be able to coach them. The Riverton community in general has been so great to be a part of.”

Riverton opened the season with an 18-2 win at Layton on March 4. Riverton’s first Region 2 game is April 17 at Corner Canyon. λ