IWLCA Division II and III Preseason Polls Released
from press release
West Chester, the reigning NCAA Division II champion, begins the
2009 season on top of the IWLCA weekly polls. The Golden Rams
earned 9 of the 10 first-place votes to rank first, followed by the
C. W. Post Pioneers, who faced West Chester in the 2008 NCAA
Championship final. The Pioneers were awarded one first-place vote
and rank second nationally.
The PSAC leads all conferences with four schools in the top-10,
lead by top-ranked West Chester. 2008 semifinalist Lock Haven comes
in at No. 5 (tied), while conference rookies Mercyhurst (No. 7) and
Gannon (No. 9) are also ranked. Three other conferences claim two
members each, including the East Coast Conference, which claims No.
2 C.W. Post and No. 3 Adelphi. No. 4 Limestone and No. 10 Belmont
Abbey represent Conference Carolinas and No. 5 (tied) Stonehill and
No. 8 New Haven represent the Northeast-10.
The IWLCA poll will be released each week, beginning February
16.
IWLCA Division II Preseason Poll
1. West Chester 20-1
99 (9)
2. C. W. Post 17-2
86 (1)
3. Adelphi 16-1 84
4. Limestone 17-2 66
5t. Lock Haven
15-4 53
5t. Stonehill 14-3 53
7. Mercyhurst 12-3 29
8. New Haven 14-3 24
9. Gannon 11-4 14
10. Belmont Abbey 12-7 9
In Division III, Hamilton begins the 2009 season on top of the
IWLCA weekly polls. The Continentals garnered 18 of the 20
first-place votes to rank first, followed by Franklin &
Marshall, which faced the Continentals in the 2008 NCAA
Championship final. The Dips took two first-place votes and rank
second nationally. The other two semifinalists from 2008, Salisbury
and TCNJ, rank third and fourth, respectively.
While both the Liberty League and the Centennial Conference claim three schools in the poll, led by top-ranked Hamilton and second-ranked Franklin & Marshall, the NESCAC boasts six schools, starting with No. 5 Middlebury. No. 8 Colby and No. 10 Amherst also reside in the top-10, while Trinity (No. 13), Tufts (No. 16), and Bowdoin (No. 20) speak to the depth of the conference.
Hamilton is joined in the top-10 by No. 7 Union, while conference-mate William Smith checks in at No. 18 for the Liberty League. The Centennial Conference claims No. 4 Gettysburg and No. 15 Dickinson in addition to the Dips.
The Capital Athletic Conference and the NJAC both have two schools; St. Mary's (No. 17) joins Salisbury from the CAC while Rowan (No. 19) is also a member of the NJAC.
Four other conferences are also represented in the top-20.
Washington & Lee from the ODAC returns to the top-10 at No. 9.
Babson (No. 11) of the NEWMAC comes in just above Cortland (No. 12)
of the SUNYAC, while Catholic (No. 14) is just two spots below
Cortland.
IWLCA Division III Preseason Poll
1. Hamilton 21-1 398
(18)
2. Franklin & Marshall
19-2 370 (2)
3. Salisbury 22-1 361
4. TCNJ 17-2 338
5. Middlebury
12-5 310
6. Gettysburg
17-4 283
7. Union 15-4 267
8. Colby 13-6 260
9. Washington & Lee 17-3 228
10. Amherst 15-4 226
11. Babson 16-3 178
12. Cortland 14-6 149
13. Trinity (CT) 11-7 143
14. Catholic 17-5 105
15. Dickinson
12-6 102
16. Tufts 10-5 95
17. St. Mary's
15-6 89
18. William Smith 13-4 78
19. Rowan 13-5 69
20. Bowdoin 9-7 51
Also receiving votes (in alphabetical order): Bates, Stevens
