Seymour girls lacrosse team has magical 2025, makes state championship match
By Ken Lay
When high school girls lacrosse was a club sport, the Seymour Lady Eagles rose to prominence.
Now that the Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association is sanctioning the sport, not much has changed — at least in Seymour.
The Lady Eagles had another magical campaign in 2025 as they reached the Class A State Championship game with a relatively young team. Seymour lost the state title game, 13-12, to Page High School.
“We had some things go against us in that game that we couldn’t control,” Lady Eagles’ coach Patrick Doyle said. “But it was a learning experience and these girls will be back. We’re losing a few people but this team will be back.”
The majority of the team’s top players were sophomores in 2025 and after the state championship game, the young players were eager to begin preparations for the 2026 season.
“We played our last game on May 17 and the next day, the girls were already asking when workouts started,” Doyle said. ‘And I had to tell them that they were taking a couple of weeks off.”
The Lady Eagles were forced to take a break again as the TSSAA’s mandatory dead period, which began on June 23 and won’t end until July 7.
“I had to make them take time off, “Doyle said, “They didn’t want to take time off, and you can’t coach that. That’s just something you can’t teach and that makes my job easier.”
The sophomores began taking leadership roles last season and they’ve emerged as the undisputed team leaders during the summer.
“My Class of 2027 is phenomenal,” said Doyle, who guided the Lady Eagles to 14 wins this past spring. “When things weren’t going well, it was the ‘27s that helped us pull things together.
“I have a few (rising seniors) but the team leaders are the ‘27s. Those girls are the best we’ve had since the 2018 class. That was my daughter’s class and every player in that class played lacrosse in college. “It’s the ‘27s that are sending the texts telling the team and reminding them when to meet up, and it’s always a different player who’s sending the texts.”
In the state tournament, Seymour routed William Blount, 22-5, and knocked off Gatlinburg-Pittman, 16-7.
Senior attacker Emma Rose Nault was one of the area’s most potent offensive players as she finished the campaign with 42 goals and 35 assists. She also totaled 45 ground balls, 43 draw controls and forced 10 turnovers en route to earning All-Region 1-A and all-state honors.
Sophomore midfielder Addy Clark was an all-region and all-state standout as she amassed 40 goals, seven assists, 25 ground balls and 55 draw controls. She also forced 13 turnovers.
Senior Savanna Grosche and sophomores Mercy Harrell and Eleanor Berelsman were also key field players in Seymour’s state tournament run.
Sophomore goalkeeper Loralie White received All-America honors from USA Lacrosse.
“She was our first All-American,” Doyle said of White, who had a .578 save percentage and recorded 154 saves. “She is just phenomenal.”
The 2025 season was a big one for the Lady Eagles but Seymour has always been a competitive lacrosse team. With the TSSAA now sanctioning the sport, a few things have changed.
“It’s a little different and you have some more restrictions,” Doyle said. “I think the Tennessee Girls Lacrosse Association did a good job, but I think it was time for the TSSAA to step in and take it over.
“Now the sport is getting support from the schools and the sport is more in the mainstream. When we first started this about 15 years ago, nobody really knew what we were doing. We probably didn’t even know what we were doing and people called (lacrosse sticks) rackets.”
A family affair: Doyle has coached Seymour girls lacrosse since its inception and one of the top players in program history is his daughter, Ryann Doyle Benson. She graduated in 2018 and is one of only three female lacrosse players in Tennessee to amass 500 points.
“My daughter is now married and she’s my assistant coach,” Doyle said.
