The Vidas fields have been active of late, which is the signifier that spring sports are fully back in swing. Another edition of the Triangle means it is time again to highlight the Triangle Athlete of the Week. This week’s Triangle athlete is Anna Maria Gragnani, a senior attacker on the women’s lacrosse team.
Gragnani joined the Dragons in 2021, following a fantastic four-year career at Suffern High School. After redshirting her freshman year, Gragnani saw her first real action in 2023, notching two goals and five ground balls for a Drexel team that made its third straight NCAA tournament appearance.
The attacker elevated her game further in 2024, scoring 17 goals in 19 games, which ranked fifth on the team. However, with the graduation of key players Corinne Bednarik, Alex Wall and Molly Weygand, it was clear Gragnani would need to continue to improve, and carry more of the offensive load for a Dragons team that was ranked preseason #24.
After totaling nine goals through her first three games, including a team high four in a tough loss against top-20 ranked University of Pennsylvania, Gragnani and Drexel headed to the USA Lacrosse Headquarters in Sparks, Maryland, to face the Harvard Crimson.
Early in the match, Harvard took a 5-1 lead, outpacing and out scoring the Dragons. In the second quarter, Drexel clawed back, scoring four unanswered goals in the first seven minutes to tie the game, before the Crimson reignited their offense, taking a two-point lead to halftime.
The Dragons opened the second half with four straight goals, including another two from Gragnani, retaking the lead. In the fourth quarter, it was all Anna Maria once again, as the redshirt senior added three more goals, bringing her final tally to eight. Drexel won the match 14-12, bringing their record to 2-2, and giving the Dragons a huge victory in their first contest against Harvard.
It was a perfect shooting day for Gragnani, as she took eight shots on goal, making all eight, and setting the attacker’s career high. Anna Maria was one shy of the school’s single-game record of nine goals, set by Renee Bucci in two separate games in 1986 and 1988.
Up Next:
The Dragons take on the Fairfield Stags at Vidas Field, Saturday at noon. The Stags have struggled out of the gate, with a 2-3 record, including a 13 point loss to UConn, a school Drexel played much closer to, losing 9-10 in double overtime.