Lily Assini completed her University of Colorado career in 2026 before moving into the Women’s Lacrosse League with the California Palms. Colorado Athletics identified her as the first player from its program to join the WLL and the sixth known Buffalo to reach a professional women’s lacrosse league.
Her professional opportunity followed a senior season that included 53 points, a 34-game point-scoring streak, three separate All-America selections, and Colorado’s first Big 12 tournament championship. Her development began at Cherry Creek High School and continued across four college seasons in which she became a regular contributor in scoring, possession and defensive play.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Role | Lacrosse midfielder |
| College | University of Colorado |
| High school | Cherry Creek High School |
| Major | Finance |
| Height | 5 feet 4 inches |
| College number | 18 |
| Professional team | California Palms |
Cherry Creek Established Her Colorado Lacrosse Foundation
Assini graduated from Cherry Creek High School in 2022 after competing in both lacrosse and field hockey. She earned four letters in lacrosse and three in field hockey, according to her official Colorado profile.
Her high-school lacrosse honors included two conference player-of-the-year awards, two first-team all-state selections and USA Lacrosse All-American recognition during her junior and senior years. As a senior in 2022, she recorded 55 goals and 31 assists while helping Cherry Creek finish 14–4.
Remaining in Colorado was an important part of her college decision. In a March 2024 interview with the CU Independent, Assini said proximity to home was a significant factor in choosing the University of Colorado. She also pointed to the coaching staff, team environment, Boulder setting, and academics.
Official Colorado records differ slightly when describing her home area. Her roster lists Englewood, while a later athletics release refers to her as a Centennial native. Both accounts consistently connect her background to Colorado.
Her Role Expanded Across Four Seasons at Colorado
Assini entered Colorado’s lineup as a freshman in 2023. Her first collegiate goal came against Stanford on March 17, when the Buffaloes earned a 17–15 victory and recorded the 100th win in program history.
A larger role followed in 2024. She started all 19 games and contributed across several statistical categories, finishing with 12 goals, 10 assists, 36 draw controls, 23 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. Her performance brought an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection.
During that season, she spoke about the preparation behind Colorado’s early results. Assini credited preseason workouts, regular practice and attention to fundamental skills. She also acknowledged that being nationally ranked brought both excitement and pressure.
Team relationships were another part of her explanation. She said connections developed away from competition helped players understand one another’s tendencies during games. At that point in the season, she identified Colorado’s February 2024 victory over Penn State as a favorite moment because the team followed its game plan and concentrated on details.
Her college record also included academic recognition. The Big 12 named her to its Spring Academic Team in both 2025 and 2026, with business finance listed as her field of study.
Consistent Production Distinguished Her 2025 Season
Assini started each of Colorado’s 16 games in 2025 and recorded at least one point in every appearance. She finished the season with 23 goals and 16 assists for 39 points, along with 34 draw controls, 20 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers.
A notable offensive breakthrough came against San Diego State on March 29. She scored four goals and supplied one assist in Colorado’s 16–12 victory, establishing then-career highs in both goals and points. It was also her first college hat trick.
She later produced another four-goal game against Cincinnati and finished the season with three hat tricks. Her contribution extended beyond scoring, as her draw controls, ground balls and caused turnovers gave her a measurable role in multiple phases of play.
Big 12 coaches unanimously selected Assini to the 2025 All-Conference Team. She also made the Big 12 All-Tournament Team, although Colorado’s season ended in the semifinal round that year.
Her Senior Season Brought New Milestones
Her offensive responsibilities increased again in 2026. Starting all 20 games, she accumulated 30 goals and 23 assists for 53 points. She also collected 29 ground balls, secured 23 draw controls and caused 17 turnovers.
On March 28, Assini matched her career high with four goals and added two assists in a 16–5 win over San Diego State. That six-point performance moved her beyond 100 career points and earned her the Big 12 Midfielder of the Week award announced on April 1.
Another productive stretch brought the same conference honor on April 22. She contributed one goal and one assist against Denver before scoring four times in a win over UC Davis. Those performances gave her five goals and one assist across the two victories.
By the end of the regular season, conference coaches had made her a unanimous All-Big 12 selection for the second consecutive year. She also completed a run of 34 straight games with at least one point.
Her passing totals placed her in Colorado’s record book. The 23 assists she produced as a senior ranked seventh in a single season, while her 53 career assists were tied for fifth in program history when her college career ended.
Assini Contributed to Colorado’s Historic Postseason
Colorado entered the 2026 Big 12 tournament as the second seed and advanced to face top-seeded Florida in the championship game on May 2. After a nearly three-hour weather delay, the Buffaloes defeated the Gators 8–6.
Assini attempted eight shots in the final before scoring with five minutes remaining. Her goal extended Colorado’s lead from 7–5 to 8–5 and provided additional separation before Florida scored the game’s final goal.
The victory gave Colorado its first Big 12 tournament championship and first conference tournament title. Assini joined Rowan Edson, Elena Oh, Jess Peluso and tournament Most Outstanding Player Maddie Shoup on the All-Tournament Team.
Colorado then defeated Jacksonville 10–9 in the opening round of the NCAA tournament and beat Denver 11–9 in the second round. The Denver result sent the Buffaloes to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
Their season ended against Northwestern on May 14. Colorado lost 13–12 in double overtime, finishing with 16 victories and a program-record nine-game winning streak before the quarterfinal defeat.
Three National Selectors Recognized Her in 2026
Assini received All-America recognition from three organizations or publications during her senior season. USA Lacrosse Magazine named her an honorable mention on May 7, while the Nike Lacrosse Media teams selected by Inside Lacrosse gave her the same distinction on May 15.
The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association announced its teams on May 21 and placed her on the third team as a midfielder. She had previously earned IWLCA First-Team All-Region recognition for the West/Midwest region.
All three national selections came from different selectors in 2026 rather than across three separate college seasons, despite confusing wording in one later Colorado release. Assini recorded 23 assists that season, bringing her Colorado career total to 53.
The California Palms Opened Her Professional Chapter
The California Palms announced on June 2, 2026, that Assini had signed a two-year entry agreement and had been placed on the team’s 23-player roster. The WLL’s official profile now identifies her as a Palms midfielder.
Colorado Athletics followed with its own announcement on June 10. The university described her as the first Buffalo to join the Women’s Lacrosse League and the sixth known Colorado player to be drafted, signed or rostered by a professional women’s league.
The move extended her playing career beyond college while keeping her in midfield.
Her Colorado Development Created a Path to the WLL
Assini developed from a freshman contributor into a midfielder who started every game across her final three Colorado seasons. Her California Palms contract carries that progression into professional lacrosse and gives the Buffaloes their first representative in the WLL.