Emma Penczek is an American lacrosse player who earned national recognition at Manchester Valley High School in Maryland before becoming an All-American midfielder at Clemson University. She finished her high school career with 487 points, a total Clemson identifies as a Maryland state record, and helped Manchester Valley complete an undefeated championship season in 2025.
Named the 2025 USA Lacrosse Magazine National High School Girls’ Player of the Year, Penczek entered Clemson as one of the highest-ranked recruits in her class. Her first collegiate season brought 63 points, All-ACC recognition, and Third Team All-American honours from two organisations. She is listed as a sophomore on Clemson’s 2026–27 roster.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Emma Penczek |
| Hometown | Hampstead, Maryland |
| Profession | Collegiate lacrosse player |
| Playing position | Midfielder |
| High school | Manchester Valley High School |
| University | Clemson University |
| Team | Clemson Tigers women’s lacrosse |
| Jersey number | 0 |
Who Is Emma Penczek in Women’s Lacrosse?
Emma Penczek is a Clemson Tigers midfielder whose reputation developed through her performances at Manchester Valley High School. Playing in both offensive and defensive situations, she became one of the most highly regarded recruits in her graduating class.
Inside Lacrosse ranked her No. 2 nationally in the Class of 2025, behind Alexa Spallina, who also joined Clemson. Penczek previously played club lacrosse for M&D 2025 Black, alongside her high-school commitments.
Her decision to attend Clemson followed an accomplished Maryland high-school career. According to The Clemson Insider, she committed to Clemson in September of her junior year at Manchester Valley, before completing her high school career in 2025.
Clemson’s official roster lists her hometown as Hampstead, Maryland, and identifies her as a 5-foot-5 midfielder wearing No. 0. For the 2026–27 academic year, she appears as a sophomore after completing her first collegiate season.
How Emma Penczek Set Maryland Lacrosse Records
Penczek completed her Manchester Valley career with 329 goals and 158 assists, producing 487 points. Clemson’s athletics records identify that points total as a Maryland state career record.
Her contributions extended beyond scoring. She also accumulated 437 draw controls and 122 caused turnovers, establishing Manchester Valley career records in all five statistical categories.
Her records covered scoring, playmaking, draw controls, and defensive contributions.
USA Lacrosse also reported that Penczek surpassed a county goals record during her time at Manchester Valley.
Remaining at Manchester Valley was a decision she discussed publicly. In a May 2025 interview with USA Lacrosse Magazine, Penczek explained that she had considered attending a private school but wanted to continue playing alongside friends she had known since childhood.
That choice allowed her to complete her high-school career with the same programme in which she had developed as a player.
Her coach, Shelly Brezicki, later described the additional practice Penczek undertook outside organised team activities. Brezicki recalled independent wall-ball exercises and shooting work after scheduled practices.
The Undefeated 2025 Season and National Player of the Year Award
Manchester Valley completed the 2025 season with a 19–0 record, winning the Maryland Class 2A state championship.
Penczek played a significant role in that campaign. During her senior season, she recorded 89 goals, 56 assists, 124 draw controls, and 39 caused turnovers.
Manchester Valley also finished fourth in the USA Lacrosse National Top 25 and first in the organisation’s public-school rankings.
The season brought individual recognition as well. USA Lacrosse Magazine selected Penczek as its Mid-Atlantic High School Girls’ Player of the Year on June 25, 2025. Five days later, the publication recognised her as its National High School Girls’ Player of the Year.
She also received All-Mid-Atlantic Team recognition.
In an interview published after the championship campaign, Penczek discussed the importance of preparation and the relationships between teammates. She credited the team’s approach to competition, including its respect for opponents, as part of the experience behind the undefeated season.
She also spoke about handling the expectations that accompanied her development as a nationally ranked player.
Penczek explained that guidance from her parents and coach helped her approach pressure constructively. Rather than becoming preoccupied with avoiding errors, she described learning to view mistakes as opportunities for improvement.
Her Clemson Debut and Key Freshman Milestones
Penczek entered Clemson with considerable recruiting recognition, but the move also introduced a higher level of competition.
Before beginning her collegiate career, she acknowledged that playing against stronger opposition would require further development. She expressed enthusiasm about learning from experienced teammates and adapting to the university environment.
Her first official appearance came against Vanderbilt on February 7, 2026, when Clemson recorded a 20–5 victory.
Penczek contributed two goals, one assist, and five caused turnovers in her debut. One of her goals came from an assist by Alexa Spallina, connecting two players who had entered Clemson as the highest-ranked recruits in their class.
Speaking to The Clemson Insider after the game, Penczek described feeling excited about the occasion rather than overwhelmed by nerves. She also discussed the support she received from teammates, coaches and Clemson spectators.
The shared celebration with Spallina was particularly meaningful to her because the two had anticipated beginning their college careers together.
Her early collegiate production continued against Furman on February 10, when she recorded her first Clemson hat trick.
Another milestone followed on March 23 against Wofford. Penczek scored the 1,000th goal in Clemson women’s lacrosse program history, contributing to a collective landmark for the university.
These performances marked important early milestones in her first collegiate season.
Emma Penczek’s 2026 Clemson Statistics and All-American Recognition
Penczek completed her first collegiate season with 33 goals and 30 assists for 63 points.
She also collected 45 ground balls and caused 39 turnovers during Clemson’s 2026 campaign.
Her season totals developed steadily through the spring. By April 21, she had accumulated 45 points, increasing that figure to 52 by May 7 before finishing with 63.
Recognition from the Atlantic Coast Conference arrived on April 21, when she was selected for the All-ACC Second Team.
Notre Dame midfielder Madison Rassas also received All-ACC recognition in 2026, earning First Team honours while Penczek was selected for the Second Team.
Further distinctions followed in May. USA Lacrosse named her a Third Team Collegiate All-American, while the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association selected her for its Division I South Region First Team.
On May 21, Clemson announced that she had also earned IWLCA Division I Third Team All-American recognition.
The awards represented separate selections by different organisations, recognising her performances during the same collegiate season.
ILWomen ranked Penczek sixth in an earlier 2026 freshman impact assessment before placing her fifth in its final Freshman Impact Rankings on June 9. The rankings evaluated first-year collegiate players, not the entire NCAA player population.
Penczek received recognition for her academic and athletic commitments as well. On June 25, Clemson announced her selection to the 2026 All-ACC Academic Women’s Lacrosse Team, which recognised qualifying student-athletes who met academic and competition participation requirements.
Clemson’s 2026–27 roster lists Penczek as a sophomore midfielder wearing No. 0.