Anna Viglione is an American college lacrosse player known for her record-setting performances at Arizona State University and her international appearance for England. A midfielder specialising in draw controls, she established herself among NCAA Division I’s leading players in that area, earning consecutive Big 12 Draw Specialist of the Year honours in 2025 and 2026.
Her achievements include becoming Arizona State women’s lacrosse’s first IWLCA All-American in May 2026 and representing England at the 2026 Women’s World Lacrosse Championship in Tokyo, Japan. From her early success at Paul VI Catholic High School to her international performances, Viglione’s career is supported by university records, conference awards, and official tournament statistics.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Anna Viglione |
| Hometown | Ashburn, Virginia, United States |
| High school | Paul VI Catholic High School |
| University | Arizona State University |
| College team | Arizona State Sun Devils |
| Playing position | Midfielder and draw-control specialist |
| Major achievement | Arizona State’s first IWLCA All-American |
| International team | England women’s national lacrosse team |
Who Is Anna Viglione in Women’s Lacrosse?
Anna Viglione is a midfielder for the Arizona State Sun Devils women’s lacrosse team. Originally from Ashburn, Virginia, she attended Paul VI Catholic High School before beginning her college career at Arizona State in 2024.
Viglione specialises in draw controls, which determine possession following restarts in women’s lacrosse. Her ability to secure possession on the draw brought her honours within the Big 12 and recognition from national lacrosse organisations.
Her career also includes international competition. In 2026, she represented England at the Women’s World Lacrosse Championship in Tokyo.
Arizona State’s 2027 roster lists her as a senior midfielder wearing jersey number 1, following three completed collegiate seasons between 2024 and 2026.
From Paul VI Catholic High School to Arizona State
Viglione developed her early lacrosse career at Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia. She also played club lacrosse for Pride Girls Lacrosse, gaining experience before moving into NCAA competition.
As a senior at Paul VI Catholic High School, Viglione scored 56 times and secured 229 draws. Arizona State’s player profile also credits her with 91 ground balls and 23 caused turnovers that season.
Her performances earned several regional distinctions, including Washington Catholic Athletic Conference First Team recognition and Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division I All-State First Team honours.
She also received the Peter T. Menke Scholar Athlete MVP Award. In June 2023, The Washington Post included her in its All-Met girls’ lacrosse selections, identifying her as a senior midfielder at Paul VI.
Viglione entered Arizona State’s women’s lacrosse programme in 2024. During her freshman season, she appeared in 18 games, contributing four goals, one assist, and 60 draw controls.
Viglione opened her college goalscoring account in Arizona State’s March 10, 2024, game against Vanderbilt. Later that season, she registered 14 draw controls against Oregon on April 20.
Her first year at Arizona State provided a statistical baseline for the substantial rise in draw controls she recorded during the next two seasons.
How Viglione Became Arizona State’s Leading Draw Specialist
The 2025 season marked a significant change in Viglione’s collegiate career. After recording 60 draw controls as a freshman, she finished her sophomore campaign with 215 draw controls across 19 starts, establishing Arizona State’s single-season record at the time.
In 2025, Viglione secured an average of 11.32 draws per match, reaching at least 10 draw controls on 14 occasions. Arizona State’s official records placed her third nationally in both total draw controls and average draw controls per game that season.
Her improvement continued during her junior campaign in 2026, when she started all 18 matches and recorded 218 draw controls. That total surpassed her previous university record by three.
The progression across her first three collegiate seasons was substantial:
| Season | Games played | Draw controls |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 18 | 60 |
| 2025 | 19 | 215 |
| 2026 | 18 | 218 |
During 2026, Viglione averaged 12.11 draw controls per game, the highest average in NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse that season, according to Arizona State Athletics.
Her 218 total draw controls placed her among the leading players nationally, although another NCAA athlete finished with a higher overall total of 238.
She also registered double-digit draw controls in 10 games during her junior season and became the first player in Arizona State programme history to exceed 400 career draw controls.
The 2026 All-American Milestone and Big 12 Recognition
Viglione’s statistical performances were accompanied by major conference and national honours.
In 2025, she was unanimously selected as Big 12 Draw Specialist of the Year. She also earned All-Big 12 recognition, Big 12 All-Tournament honours, and an Inside Lacrosse Third Team All-American selection. USA Lacrosse awarded her All-American Honorable Mention.
Her success continued in 2026, beginning with Big 12 Preseason Draw Specialist of the Year recognition in January.
On April 29, 2026, the Big 12 Conference announced its annual lacrosse awards, naming Viglione Draw Specialist of the Year for the second consecutive season. She was also selected to the All-Big 12 Team.
Throughout the season, she received six Big 12 Draw Specialist of the Week awards.
The Tewaaraton Foundation added Viglione to its 2026 Tewaaraton Award Watch List, placing her among the college players being considered for the prestigious individual lacrosse award.
Her most significant university milestone followed in May.
Two major IWLCA distinctions followed in May 2026. Arizona State reported her West/Midwest All-Region First Team selection on May 14, before announcing on May 21 that she had earned a place on the IWLCA Division I All-American Second Team as a draw specialist.
She became the first athlete in the history of Arizona State women’s lacrosse to earn an IWLCA All-American honour.
Two other organisations recognised her 2026 performances: USA Lacrosse placed her on its All-American Second Team, while Inside Lacrosse awarded her an All-American Honorable Mention. These were separate selections made by different lacrosse organisations.
Arizona State head coach Taryn VanThof Puls also spoke publicly about Viglione’s contributions to the team. After a March 2026 win over Akron, head coach Taryn VanThof Puls praised Viglione’s reliability and ability to meet competitive expectations in comments reported by Blaze Radio.
That match ended in a 14–8 Arizona State victory, with Viglione recording 17 draw controls.
Anna Viglione’s England Debut at the 2026 World Championship
Viglione represented England at the 2026 Women’s World Lacrosse Championship in Tokyo, marking her first documented appearance at the senior world championship.
England Lacrosse announced its championship squad on February 13, 2026. Arizona State later confirmed her participation in July, identifying her as the university’s first women’s lacrosse player to compete at the senior world championship.
The tournament took place from July 25 to August 1, 2026, bringing together national teams in international competition.
Although Arizona State lists Viglione as a midfielder, the official World Lacrosse tournament roster classified her as a defender for England. She wore jersey number 12 during the competition.
In Tokyo, Viglione maintained her effectiveness at winning draws, a key part of her success with Arizona State.
Across six matches, Viglione registered 58 draw controls, achieving an individual draw win rate of 59%, according to World Lacrosse’s tournament reporting.
Another NCAA Division I draw specialist, Racheli Levy-Smith, set Holy Cross records and represented Israel at the same 2026 Women’s World Lacrosse Championship in Tokyo.
England Lacrosse also reported that she ranked second among players at the championship for total draw controls.
One of her notable performances came against Australia in the fifth-place match on August 1, 2026.
England defeated Australia 8–7 in overtime, securing fifth position in the tournament. Viglione contributed 11 draw controls during that game.
England Lacrosse confirmed the result and her tournament statistics in its August 2 report.
Following the championship, Arizona State’s 2027 roster listed Viglione as a senior midfielder, with three completed college seasons and a senior international championship appearance behind her.