Peyton Howell of Tampa Receives SSC’s Top Female Athlete Honor

ORLANDO, Fla. - University of Tampa women's lacrosse athlete Peyton Howell has been named the 2024-25 Sunshine State Conference Female Athlete of the Year. Howell led the Spartans to a second-consecutive national title and was named National Player of the Year by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association and USA Lacrosse Magazine.

The Female Athlete of the Year award is voted on by Athletic Directors, Senior Woman Administrators, Athletic Communication Directors, and Faculty Athletic Representatives from each of the 11 SSC member institutions.

The attacker from Towson, Maryland, concluded the 2025 season by earning multiple national and conference accolades, including being named the Division II National Player of the Year, Attacker of the Year, and First Team All-America by the IWLCA and USA Lacrosse Magazine. She was also recognized as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2025 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship, where she recorded four goals and one assist in Tampa's national semifinal win over UIndy, and added four goals in the national title game against Adelphi.

The junior finished 2025 with conference single-season records in goals (93) goals per game (4.23). Howell also sits second all-time in single-season points (116), points per game (5.27), and free-position goals (29). Additionally, she set UTampa program-best marks with eight game-winning goals, 180 shots attempted, 8.18 shots per game, and 12 woman-up goals. Among the season's highlights was a record-tying performance on April 15, when she posted nine goals (tied for third-most in SSC single-game history), 10 points, and 17 shots in a conference win at Palm Beach Atlantic.

Within the Sunshine State Conference, she was named the 2025 SSC Attack Player of the Year, First Team All-SSC, and an SSC All-Championships Team honoree. She was a two-time SSC Offensive Player of the Week (March 24 and April 7) and earned IWLCA National Offensive Player of the Week honors on May 26. Earlier in the academic year, Howell was named USA Lacrosse Magazine's Preseason Division II Player of the Year and Preseason Attacker of the Year.

Howell is the fourth Tampa student-athlete to be honored as SSC Female Athlete of the Year and the first since Berkley Whaley (volleyball) in 2014-15 and 2015-16. Before Whaley, Danielle Faggion (volleyball) won in 1999-00, Shannon Aitken (soccer) was awarded in 2007-08, and Danielle Selkridge (volleyball) took the honor in 2012-13. Howell is the first women's lacrosse student-athlete to win the Female Athlete of the Year twice since the league first sponsored the sport in 2014-15.

Complete Listing: SSC Athletes of the Year