Paige Kiani, a third-year nursing major and captain of the UWEC Women’s Lacrosse team, was awarded Athlete of the Week by the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) for the week of Mar. 16-22.

Every week, the WIAC awards the Kwik Trip Athlete of the Week award to one athlete per sport, recognizing their outstanding athletic accomplishments.

Kiani won the award for Offensive Women’s Lacrosse player of the week following her performances against Augustana College (Ill.) on Mar. 20 and Aurora University (Ill.) on Mar. 21, both contests the Blugolds won.

Against Augustana, Kiani set the UWEC Women’s Lacrosse program record with 10 goals in a single game. She also tallied two assists, with her point total of 12 tying the Blugold program record in that category.

Against Aurora, Kiani scored four goals, bringing her two-game total to 14. As of Apr. 8, Kiani has 20 goals on the season, which leads the Blugolds. Her 25 total points on the season ranks second on the team.

Kiani grew up in New Brighton, Minn., just north of Minneapolis, where she fell in love with lacrosse in fourth grade. Since then, Kiani has played the sport at many levels, including Club Lacrosse, where she caught the eye of the Blugold program.

“I went to a lot of recruitment-heavy tournaments, a lot of stuff on the East coast,” Kiani said, “and the [UWEC] lacrosse coach at the time saw me play in one of the tournaments and reached out to me.”

Kiani said “being wanted as an athlete” drew her to attending Eau Claire and playing for their lacrosse team, but she’s found that playing for the team has brought other benefits.

“It’s an easy way to meet people and make connections,” Kiani said.

Those connections have been critical to creating Kiani’s positive experience playing for Blugold lacrosse. 

Kiani shouted out her current coach, Dr. Courtney (CJ) Puhl, for her encouragement “on and off the field,” and Alexie Romanelli, a 2025 UW-Eau Claire graduate, who Kiani said played a big role in helping her feel comfortable and confident on the team.

Kiani said her strongest connection on the team, though, has been with third-year midfielder Jess Stiller. They spend a lot of time with each other off the field and are part of each other’s pregame rituals, which Kiani said also helps them on the field.

“I’ve never had as good of chemistry with someone on the lacrosse field as I do with [Stiller],” Kiani said. “We spend so much time together that we can read each other really well, so we know exactly what to expect from each other, which helps us get a lot of good looks.”

While Kiani’s friendship with Stiller is the strongest, she has built trust and connections across the team. She was voted a team captain following the 2025 season, and was given an important position heading into this season.

“I am in charge of our gameday playlist,” Kiani said. “Last year, one of our captains made a shared Spotify playlist, and it was collaborative after that. When I got voted in as captain this year, everyone knew that I liked being in charge of the music, so that just became my job.”

Apart from getting the team hyped through music, Puhl said Kiani goes above and beyond to prepare for games.

“She is the first to complete lifts and be on the field,” Puhl said. “She is always striving to be the best that she can be.”

Still, Kiani said she was at ease during the game on Mar. 20, when she was on the verge of making Blugold women’s lacrosse history.

“Throughout the game, I didn’t know there was a record,” Kiani said. “I just knew I was scoring a lot throughout the game, so I was like, ‘wow, I’m a point machine right now.’”

Kiani said she heard rumblings about a record being broken throughout the fourth period, but it wasn’t until near the end of the game when Puhl encouraged her to, in her words, “shut out everything else and just ball.” 

Even with the added weight on her shoulders, Kiani said she didn’t feel any extra pressure.

“I knew everyone wanted me to score and beat the record,” Kiani said, “but we were already winning so it wasn’t a make or break situation. And honestly, I’m not that motivated by cushioning my stats. I play because I love the sport and I love my teammates.”

Kiani said she’s still appreciative of her record and the accolade she received, but there is nothing she appreciates more about playing for Blugold lacrosse than the community she’s found and the support she’s been given.

“Being able to go onto the field and do what I love with the people I love makes everything I’ve ever had to endure for lacrosse worth it,” Kiani said. “To be able to do that with the rest of the people I love cheering me on and supporting us from the sidelines is euphoric.”

As Kiani heads into the second half of her time both at UW-Eau Claire and with the lacrosse team, what she’ll be taking away from the experience is the varied impact it’s had on her life.

“I have gained leadership skills, problem solving, more athleticism, [and] better time management,” Kiani said. “I’ve gotten better at resolving conflict and have been pushed out of my comfort zone on many occasions.”

Across her seasons on the team, Kiani said she’s also seen improvement in herself as a lacrosse player.

“Skillwise, I’ve improved exponentially,” Kiani said. “In my freshman year, I didn’t play much, and now I start games and break a record every now and then.”

The Blugolds play next at 5:00 p.m. on Apr. 15 at Simpson Field against UW-Stevens Point.

Coleman can be reached at [email protected].