Georgetown Starts Atop Big East Women's Poll
from press release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the second
consecutive year, the BIG EAST women's lacrosse coaches have
selected Georgetown as the favorite in the BIG EAST women's
lacrosse preseason poll. The Hoyas totaled 59 points, including
four first-place votes and were narrowly picked ahead of Syracuse
(57 points), which had three first-place selections. Notre Dame (50
points) and Loyola (47 points) each earned a first-place vote as
well. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.
Loyola senior Grace Gavin was tabbed as the BIG EAST Preseason
Offensive Player of the Year and was one of eight unanimous
Preseason All-BIG EAST honorees. For the second straight year,
Syracuse senior Liz Hogan earned Preseason Defensive Player of the
Year honors, as well as Preseason All-BIG EAST accolades.
Gavin totaled 87 points, including 64 goals and 23 assists last
season. She also scored five game-winning goals and was the 2010
BIG EAST Attack Player of the Year. In conference play, she tallied
a league-leading 46 points and was tied for the most goals with 34.
Gavin also helped lead the Greyhounds to their first appearance in
the BIG EAST Championship as well as a top-20 ranking in the
national polls.
Hogan played in 22 games last year and posted a league-leading
8.63 goals-against average. She also led the BIG EAST in save
percentage, posting a .525 mark along with 211 saves. In conference
play her numbers were even better as she lowered her goals-against
average to 7.01 and upper her save percentage to .616. Both figures
were tops in the BIG EAST. In 22 games, Hogan helped lead the
Syracuse defense in holding 13 opponents to 10 goals or less. She
also was named the 2010 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
Georgetown returns six starters and 21 letterwinners to a squad
that won the 2010 BIG EAST regular-season crown as well as the No.
1 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. The Hoyas went 13-6 last
season, including 8-0 in BIG EAST play. Senior Logan McCraw and
junior Kelly Barnes anchor a defense which ranked among the league
leaders. Both players also were All-BIG EAST First Team performers
last season, while Barnes was a unanimous preseason selection this
year. Senior attacker Jordy Kirr, a unanimous Preseason All-BIG
EAST pick, will be a key cog on offense.
Syracuse, which has advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA
Championship in two of the last three years under the direction of
head coach Gary Gait, was picked second. The Orange (15-7, 6-2 BIG
EAST) return seven starters and 23 letterwinners. Syracuse also has
a league-leading four Preseason All-BIG EAST selections, including
Hogan. Leading the offense will be Preseason All-BIG EAST
selections Tee Ladouceur and Michelle Tumolo. Ladouceur, a senior
attack, had 91 points last season and is the league's top returning
scorer. Tumolo, a sophomore attack, is one of two underclassmen on
the preseason team along with Georgetown's Kelly Barnes. Senior
midfielder Catherine Rodriguez also was a Preseason All-BIG EAST
selection and tallied 28 draw controls, 22 ground balls and 12
caused turnovers last year.
Notre Dame was slotted for the third position and has advanced to
the NCAA Championship in each of the last three seasons. The Irish
(11-7, 6-2 BIG EAST) tied for second in the regular-season
standings last year and were the No. 2 seed in the BIG EAST
Championship. Notre Dame had three players selected to the
preseason all-conference team, including seniors Kailene Abt,
Shaylyn Blaney and Jackie Doherty. Doherty was a unanimous
selection to the Preseason All-BIG EAST team and led the league in
caused turnovers last season averaging 2.2 per contest. All three
players earned all-conference honors last season.
Loyola (11-7, 5-3 BIG EAST) was tabbed fourth in the preseason
selections with 47 points and one first-place vote. Including
Gavin, three Loyola players earned Preseason All-BIG EAST honors,
including senior midfielder Cara Filippelli and classmate Abby
Rehfuss. Last season Filippelli was among the league leaders in
draw controls averaging 2.67 per game along with 23 goals, 23
ground balls and 19 caused turnovers. Rehfuss also was a steady
contributor with 23 goals, 41 ground balls, 48 draw controls and 24
caused turnovers.
Louisville was picked fifth and will look to seniors Emily
Dashiell and Bergan Foley to lead the offense. A unanimous
Preseason All-BIG EAST selection, Dashiell had a league-leading
3.73 draw controls per game last year, along with 41 goals. Foley,
also a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST pick, led the league in
goals at 4.59 per outing. She totaled 84 points, including a
league-leading 78 goals. The Cardinals were 11-6 last season, 4-4
in BIG EAST play.
Rutgers was picked sixth following an 11-5 mark last year, 4-4 in
BIG EAST action. Senior midfielder Marlena Welsh, a Preseason
All-BIG EAST pick, will help direct the offense after totaling 31
points, including 27 goals last year.
Connecticut, Cincinnati and Villanova round out the poll.
In all, 14 of the 16 Preseason All-BIG EAST selections were
seniors.
The 2011 season will be the second year in which the league will
contain nine members. In addition, it is the second year that all
three games of the BIG EAST Championship will be televised live on
national television. The CBS College Sports Network will broadcast
both semifinals live on Thursday, May 5 while the title game is set
for Saturday, May 7. The 2011 BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse
Championship will be held at Georgetown University.
2011 BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Georgetown (4) 59
2. Syracuse (3) 57
3. Notre Dame (1) 50
4. Loyola (1) 47
5. Louisville 36
6. Rutgers 31
7. Connecticut 23
8. Cincinnati 14
9. Villanova 11
First-place votes in parentheses
2011 BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
*Grace Gavin, Loyola, Senior, Attack/Midfield
2011 BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
*Liz Hogan, Syracuse, Senior, Goalkeeper
2011 BIG EAST Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Kailene Abt, Notre Dame, Senior, Midfield
*Kelly Barnes, Georgetown, Junior, Defense
*Shaylyn Blaney, Notre Dame, Senior, Midfield
*Emily Dashiell, Louisville, Senior, Midfield
*Jackie Doherty, Notre Dame, Senior, Defense
Cara Filippelli, Loyola, Senior, Midfield
*Bergan Foley, Louisville, Senior, Attack
*Grace Gavin, Loyola, Senior, Attack/Midfield
*Liz Hogan, Syracuse, Senior, Goalkeeper
*Jordy Kirr, Georgetown, Senior, Attack
Tee Ladouceur, Syracuse, Senior, Attack
Logan McCraw, Georgetown, Senior, Defense
Abby Rehfuss, Loyola, Senior, Midfield
Catherine Rodriguez, Syracuse, Senior, Midfield
Michelle Tumolo, Syracuse, Sophomore, Attack
Marlena Welsh, Rutgers, Senior, Midfield
*unanimous selections
