2015 Women's Lacrosse Preseason Webcast 

Salisbury University, the 12-time defending CAC champion and two-time defending NCAA Division III champion, was the unanimous pick as the preseason favorite by the conference coaches heading into the 2015 women’s lacrosse season.  A much more difficult job for the CAC coaches than picking SU as the top team is to figure out how to beat coach Jim Nestor’s squad.

Salisbury collected first place votes from all eight opposing coaches (coaches are prohibited from voting for their own team) to land atop the poll with 64 points.

The Sea Gulls boast the return of All-Americans Bethany Baer on the attack and Laura Maskell on the defense from a team that went 23-1 in 2014, capped by a 9-6 victory over Trinity (Conn.) University in the second-straight year the teams met in the NCAA title game. 

There is always at least one solid contender for the title – evidenced by the fact that the CAC received two bids to the NCAA Tournament in each of the past nine years (and several times, it could be argued that a third team was deserving of an NCAA bid).

York, which finished second in the regular season the last two years and played SU in the CAC title game in each of the past three years, was picked by every coach to finish second in the standings this year.  The Spartans rank second in the poll with 56 points.

Mary Washington and Christopher Newport were picked to battle for third place in the regular-season standings.  UMW, which was nationally ranked throughout most of the 2014 season, collected 47 points for third place in the CAC preseason poll while CNU gained 44 points, including one first-place vote, to rank fourth.

Another close battle emerged in the race for fifth place, where St. Mary’s ranked with 36 points, but is expected by the coaches to be challenged by sixth-place Marymount (29 points) and seventh-place Frostburg State (25 points).  Wesley (13 points) and Southern Virginia (10 points) completed the 2015 CAC preseason poll.

The 2015 season opens Saturday (Feb. 14) when Christopher Newport (Washington & Lee) and St. Mary’s Va. Wesleyan) host Old Dominion Athletic Conference non-conference rivals.  The first CAC tussle is slated for March 7, when Southern Virginia, in its first year of eligibility to qualify for the CAC playoffs, visits Mary Washington.

The nine CAC squads will by vying for six berths in the conference playoffs, which begin with a pair of first-round matches on Tuesday, April 21 and culminate with the title contest on Saturday, May 2 at the site of the highest seeded team.

Here is a look at each team heading into the 2015 season:

After recording the program’s ninth straight winning season while finishing fifth in the CAC standings last season, CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT welcomes back a youthful squad in 2015. Under the guidance of head coach Carolyn Query, the Captains will be led by reigning CAC Rookie of the Year Meaghan Galvin, who ranked among the league leaders with 61 points, 42 goals, and 66 draw controls last season. CNU also returns eight other starters from last year’s squad, including All-State selection Erin Callahan and goalie Hanna Slough, who set a new single-season program record with 171 saves last year.

Entering her fourth year as head coach for FROSTBURG STATE, Megan Foy returns several seniors, including leading goal scorer and All-CAC Second Team selection Malory Brunett (38 goals, 10 assists) and midfielder Ellie Garner (17 goals, four assists). Sophomore midfielder Emani Byrd, second on the team with 41 ground balls, also returns for the Bobcats as a Second Team All-CAC pick.

MARY WASHINGTON enters the 2015 season bent on returning to the top 25 nationally, with a talent-laden team returning from a year ago. Heading the list of returnees is senior Emily Atkinson, sophomore Emily Mott, and senior Corrine Wiederkehr, all of whom have gained all-CAC honors. UMW welcomes back senior goalie Taylor Paige, as well as seniors Maggie Nunn and Melissa Vinall, who are both healthy for 2015 after missing time with injuries.

Entering her first season at the helm of the MARYMOUNT program, Kate Athing looks to make an immediate impact and build on the squad's 8-8 record from a year ago.  Marymount suffers two key loses from the 2014 campaign, but returns eight well-rounded seniors with immense CAC playing experience.  Seniors Megan McGuirk and Taylor Johnson headline the offensive returners having combined for nearly 100 points last season.  Sophomore Catina Boster scooped up a second-best 29 groundballs from the midfield, while classmate Natalie Tinkman proved the constant for the Saints in terms of draw control.  Overall, Marymount welcomes back four of its top-five point-scorers from a year ago.

ST. MARY’S is prepared to make waves this season as the Seahawks return everyone from last year's squad, including their top seven scorers. The midfield unit will be the team's strength as All-CAC selections Shelby Newman and Tori Poffenberger will control play in the center of the field. All-region defender Brynn Miller and goalkeeper Kayla Dunn will lead the defense.

The two-time reigning national champion SALISBURY returns a slew of offensive experience for the 2015 campaign, led by Lacrosse Magazine’s Preseason Player of the Year and two-time All-American Bethany Baer. Joining Baer on the offense are seniors Shelby Nemecek, who posted a team-leading 69 goals last season, and Kate Haker, who earned a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team after posting 12 goals and five assists through five postseason games, along with Kara O’Rourke and Megan Wallenhorst, both whom saw significant time last season. The defense is led by senior Laura Maskell, who earned All-American status at the conclusion of last year. Joining Maskell on the backline is Hayden Hutzell, Anna Sparr and Kieran Kelleher, all with experience in the backfield for the Sea Gulls. With the loss of three-time Goalkeeper of the Year Ashton Wheatley to graduation, SU remains to name a starter due to all four keepers on the roster showing promise.

Under first-year head coach Nancy Webber, SOUTHERN VIRGINIA looks for a strong showing in its second year ever as an NCAA competitive program.  Southern Virginia picked up its first win in program history last season against Hollins University, while finishing the season with a 1-12 record.  The Knights bring in a more experienced team this year with key returners in Rainey Whitworth, Claire Houghtaling, Zoe Bradshaw and Samantha Jones. Southern Virginia also brings in a class of newcomers that will look to make big contributions as the Knights can officially qualify for postseason play.

WESLEY will have a much different look in 2015 as head coach Aimee LeClair brought in her first recruiting class to go with veterans like Rylee Gould who led the CAC with 37 assists last year.  Also returning at midfield are Kaitlin Brennan and Jessica Giaccone who each had 17 points last season and were the Wolverines top performers on the draw.  Among the newcomers that should stand out for the Navy & White are goalkeeper Savannah Clough, and speedy midfielders Francesca Benitez and Rodneisha Scott.  Opening the season with its first two games on the road, Wesley’s home opener is slated for February 28 against Merchant Marine. 

YORK enters the 2015 looking to take the next step after being CAC finalists the last three years. The Spartans welcome back a pair of All-CAC performers from last year. Junior defender Megan Strauch and senior midfielder Sarah Castle are the Spartans top returners in their respective positions. Strauch headlines a very experienced defense as York welcomes back sophomore Macey Yates, senior Karlie Dougherty, sophomore Erin Mensch, and sophomore Katie Owensto the strong defensive unit.  Castle is joined in the midfield by sophomore Kelly Curran, freshman Melissa Meehling, junior Ally Bove, and sophomore Jordan Cassella.  The attack features junior Allison Kolacy, sophomore Rachel Saks, junior Brittany Noell, and sophomore transfer Jayme Verman.  The Spartan goaltending will be handled by the duo of sophomore Rachel Donovan and freshman Charlotte Wright as they will look to replace the graduated All-American Ashley Smith. 

2015 CAC Women’s Lacrosse Pre-Season Coaches Poll