St. John Fisher Pegged First in Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Rob Kulish
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (February 17, 2015) – St. John Fisher College was picked to win the 2015 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship, it was announced Wednesday afternoon after a poll of the league’s nine head coaches.
The Cardinals – who won the 2014 conference title – totaled 61 points in the poll and received a league-high five first-place votes. Ithaca College was second with 58 points and three first-place votes, while Stevens Institute of Technology compiled 50 points and one first-place vote. Nazareth College was selected fourth (44 points) and Utica College rounds out the top five with 37 tallies. Hartwick College (28), Elmira College (23), Houghton College (12) and Alfred University (11) round out the poll in spots six-through-nine.
St. John Fisher is ranked No. 16 in the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Preseason Poll, and the Cardinals are coming off their third-straight Empire 8 Championship and appearance in the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The Cardinals have won 15 or more games each of the last three seasons and return five of their six leading scorers from the 2014 squad in Samantha Barton, Sierra Badger, Lindsey Shoales, Erin Ward and Jordan Johnson. Junior goalie Nicole Hart is also back after netting Most Valuable Player honors at the 2014 E8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
The coaches’ second place selection are the Bombers of Ithaca College who are ranked No. 18 in the IWLCA preseason poll after reaching the Empire 8 title game for a fifth-straight season in 2014. The Bombers will be led by junior attack Ally Runyon who paced Ithaca with 56 goals and 64 points as a sophomore. Goalie Emily Ross is back after a strong freshman season saw her start 18-of-18 contests for the Bombers, making 125 saves in more than 930 minutes of action. In addition to Guzzo, junior Riley Marion and senior Natalie Lang will be key contributors for an Ithaca team eyeing its first Empire 8 Tournament title since 2008.
Stevens earned the fourth seed in the conference tournament in 2014 after turning in a record of 4-3 in Empire 8 play (7-10 overall) and has been picked third in 2015. The Ducks return a strong nucleus in reigning E8 Rookie of the Year Kathleen Kalbian and two first-team all-conference performers in senior defender Amanda Ingersoll and junior midfielder Erika Wilcox. Stevens has made the conference tournament each year since 2007, winning Empire 8 titles and berths into the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011.
Nazareth finished last year third in the conference standings and is projected to be in a similar spot this year. The Golden Flyers were 8-8 overall and 5-2 in the Empire 8, returning 16 players from last year’s squad. Leading scorers Brooke Sullivan and Carly Gates – both of which earned all-conference honors a season ago – combined for 73 points and 56 scores and are back, while all-conference midfielder Brianna Marcini and all-conference defender MacKenzie Haley both are also slated to be key contributors to the Golden Flyers’ success this year.
The coaches picked the Pioneers of Utica College fifth, boasting a veteran roster with 13 upper classmen. Megan Kane – the team’s 2014 point leader – returns to the field after an impressive 45-goal, 11-assist season, as does sophomore attack Rebecca Plunkett who finished the year with 42 markers and 44 draw controls. The Pioneers finished last year with an overall record of 10-6, missing out on the conference tournament by just one game and putting together separate four and three-game winning streaks.
Sixth-place selection Hartwick College will return four All-Empire 8 selections for the 2015 season in senior defender Caroline Stanford, junior midfielder Emily Jweid, junior goalie Steph Luce and freshman attack Lauren Rosenberg. The Hawks are slated to return 18 players from a 2014 squad that won six games and averaged nearly 11 goals per contest.
Elmira was tabbed seventh in the poll after going 6-11 overall and 2-5 in the conference. The Soaring Eagles were solid at home with a record of 5-4, and return a powerful one-two scoring punch of senior Ashton Hogan and junior Moorea Spoljaric who both pocketed honorable mention all-conference accolades in 2014. The duo combined for 86 goals.
Houghton College was the eighth selection by the league’s coaches and is eligible for postseason play for the first time under first-year coach Amanda Zacchigna. Houghton picked up four wins in 2014, just the third varsity season in program history, and will be led by sophomore Chandler Jones who had 44 points on 21 goals and 23 assists as a rookie.
The Saxons of Alfred University will be looking to improve upon a tough 2014 season. The Saxons will boast a balanced squad filled with talented newcomers and several strong returners. Leading scorer Kaitlyn Button is back after a 32-goal 2014 season as is sophomore Megan Wendt who finished with a 16 tallies and eight ground balls.
2015 Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1 – St. John Fisher College (61 points) (5 first-place votes)
2 – Ithaca College (58) (3)
3 – Stevens Institute of Technology (50) (1)
4 – Nazareth College (44)
5 – Utica College (37)
6 – Hartwick College (28)
7 – Elmira College (23)
8 – Houghton College (12)
9 – Alfred University (11)