GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College women's lacrosse team will begin the 2012 campaign as the nation's top-ranked team according to the recently released Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) NCAA Division III Preseason Poll.
The 2011 national champions took home the top spot for the first time in the preseason poll by racking up 17 first-place votes and 396 points overall. Gettysburg, which wrapped up last season as the top-ranked team, was also ranked No. 1 during the 2006 and 2007 regular seasons.
Right behind Gettysburg was The College of New Jersey which received three first-place votes and 365 points after reaching the national semifinals last spring. SUNY Cortland and Bowdoin College, victims of Gettysburg's 2011 title run, filled in at the third and fourth positions, respectively, while Franklin & Marshall College rounded out the top five.
Gettysburg will put its crown on the line often in the upcoming campaign with seven contests against teams ranked in the preseason top 20. At the top of that list are match ups with No. 2 TCNJ and No. 5 Franklin & Marshall on March 30 and April 18, respectively. The Bullets will also face No. 11 Catholic University, No. 12 Stevens Institute of Technology, No. 14 Washington & Lee University, No. 17 University of Mary Washington, and No. 20 Elizabethtown College this spring.
Under the guidance of IWLCA Division III Coach of the Year
Carol Cantele '83, Gettysburg procured its first NCAA title with a 16-5 victory over Bowdoin College in the championship game held at Adelphi University's Motamed Field last May. Fifteen letterwinners return for a team that finished 19-4 overall in 2011.
The Bullets open the year with a pair of exhibitions, first battling the Wales National Team on Thursday, Feb. 16, at 3:30 p.m. and then meeting both Lock Haven University and Shippensburg University on Saturday, Feb. 18, at 10 a.m. Both scrimmages will take place at Gettysburg's Clark Field. Gettysburg officially begins its title defense at Mary Washington on Thursday, Feb. 23, at 4 p.m.
|
IWLCA Division III Preseason Poll (February 2, 2012) |
|
No. |
School |
2011 Record |
Votes (1st pl) |
Final 2011 |
|
1 |
Gettysburg |
19-4 |
396 (17) |
1 |
|
2 |
TCNJ |
20-1 |
365 (3) |
3 |
|
3 |
Cortland |
21-2 |
337 |
4 |
|
4 |
Bowdoin |
18-4 |
333 |
2 |
|
5 |
Franklin & Marshall |
19-3 |
299 |
7 |
|
6 |
Salisbury |
19-3 |
298 |
6 |
|
7 |
Hamilton |
18-2 |
274 |
9 |
|
8 |
Trinity (CT) |
18-1 |
254 |
5 |
|
9 |
Middlebury |
11-6 |
226 |
12 |
|
10 |
Colby |
15-5 |
213 |
8 |
|
11 |
Catholic |
15-4 |
177 |
10 |
|
12 |
Stevens |
16-4 |
160 |
11 |
|
13 |
Messiah |
18-2 |
155 |
13 |
|
14 |
Washington & Lee |
15-5 |
145 |
14 |
|
15 |
Tufts |
12-7 |
139 |
15 |
|
16 |
Amherst |
9-6 |
92 |
17 |
|
17 |
Mary Washington |
13-8 |
51 |
20 |
|
18 |
Bates |
9-7 |
50 |
19 |
|
19 |
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps |
16-3 |
47 |
16 |
|
20 |
Elizabethtown |
16-4 |
44 |
18 |
|
Also receiving votes: Ithaca, Skidmore, Union, Williams |
|
Italics indicate 2012 Gettysburg opponents |
