NEW YORK – BIG EAST women’s lacrosse will have a new look this season with 10 teams, but the league champion is predicted to be the same for a third consecutive year as the conference’s head coaches unanimously selected Florida to three-peat. The Gators earned all 81 available points and swept the preseason major awards as attackers Sammi Burgess and Lindsey Ronbeck shared BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year plaudits and defender Caroline Fitzgerald was the undisputed pick as Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
The BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll, major awards and all-conference selections are based on ballots cast by the league’s 10 head coaches, who cannot vote for their own team or student-athletes.
BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse
Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
Florida (9) |
81 |
| 2. |
Connecticut |
68 |
| 3. |
Georgetown |
63 |
| 4. |
Denver |
55 |
| 5. |
Temple |
45 |
| 6. |
Marquette |
41 |
| 7. |
Vanderbilt (1) |
40 |
| 8. |
Villanova |
31 |
| 9. |
Cincinnati |
17 |
| 10. |
Butler |
9 |
Connecticut garnered 68 points to finish second in the preseason poll, followed by Georgetown with 63 for third. The newest affiliate member of BIG EAST women’s lacrosse, Denver claimed fourth with 55 points, followed by 2016 BIG EAST Championship runner-up Temple in fifth with 45. Marquette (sixth, 41), Vanderbilt (seventh, 40), Villanova (eighth, 31) and Cincinnati (ninth, 17) round out the returners, while Butler, in its first season of sponsoring women’s lacrosse, finished in 10
th with nine points. The Commodores claimed the final available first-place vote.
The Gators, who finished the 2016 season 18-2 overall and 7-0 in BIG EAST play, placed a league-high six players on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, including unanimous picks Burgess, Ronbeck and Fitzgerald, along with senior defender Taylor Bresnahan, junior attacker Shayna Pirreca and senior midfielder Mollie Stevens.
Florida won its second consecutive BIG EAST Championship in 2016 and was the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Championship before falling in the Second Round.
Burgess and Ronbeck combined for 32 goals and 13 assists in BIG EAST play last season, with Ronbeck tying teammate Nicole Graziano for the league lead with 2.57 goals per game. Ronbeck, a sophomore attacker, led the BIG EAST with 3.86 points per game and was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and
Inside Lacrosse National Rookie of the Year. Burgess was Co-Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 with unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST Team pick Grace Nolan of UConn. The Florida senior attacker scored 14 goals and dished four assists in seven league games and was tabbed a First Team All-American by the IWLCA.
Fitzgerald was also an All-American in 2016, garnering second-team honors. The defender was voted BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year last season as a junior, leading the Florida defense which allowed a league-best 5.71 goals per game, outshot opponents 2-1, and led the BIG EAST with 19.29 ground balls per game. Fitzgerald collected 2.43 ground balls per contest.
Nolan, who led a Huskies team which went 12-5 overall and 6-1 in league play, was joined on the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team by teammate Cassie Ekstrom. Nolan finished her sophomore campaign third in the BIG EAST in goals (2.43/game) and second in points (3.57). Ekstrom anchored a
Connecticut defense which posted the league’s No. 3 save percentage (.522) and second-best caused turnover average (12.14). The second-seeded Huskies punched their BIG EAST Championship ticket for a fourth time in 2016, falling to Temple in the Semifinals.
Unanimous Preseason selection Francesca Whitehurst enters her sophomore season with
Georgetown (6-11, 4-3 BIG EAST) following a rookie campaign which saw her lead the Hoyas with 11 goals and 15 points. Georgetown qualified for the BIG EAST Championship for a 10
th consecutive season before being edged by the top-seeded Gators.
Redshirt-junior attacker Nicole Martindale leads
Denver into its first season of BIG EAST women’s lacrosse. Martindale totaled 21 goals and 11 assists over nine games after missing the first nine of the season. The Pioneers went 9-9 overall and 5-4 in the MPSF in 2016.
Temple (13-6, 4-3) earned its first BIG EAST Championship berth in 2016. Graduate student attacker Brenda McDermott led the Owls in league play with 12 goals, nine assists and 21 points, while Morgan Glassford was a pivotal midfielder with seven goals and three dishes, as both were voted to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team.
Marquette (7-10, 4-3) narrowly missed its first postseason berth last year and has eyes on the tourney field this season with junior midfielder Allison Lane and senior attacker Julianna Shearer leading the charge. Both were named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team, with Lane garnering the accolade unanimously. The duo ranked fourth and fifth in the BIG EAST in goals last season, with Lane averaging 2.29 and Shearer scoring 2.14 per contest. Lane was the BIG EAST leader in draw controls per game at 3.43 per contest.
Vanderbilt went 5-11 overall and 1-6 in its second season of BIG EAST play in 2016, with Preseason All-BIG EAST honoree Callahan Kent back in the cage for 2017. Kent posted a 9.14 goals against average, a .496 save percentage and averaged 9.00 saves per contest, all of which ranked fourth among league goaltenders.
Villanova (4-13, 2-5) returns 13 letterwinners from a season ago and will look to improve upon last season’s mark and qualify for the BIG EAST Championship, presented by Jeep. The Wildcats will serve as host of the league postseason tournament, slated for May 4 and 6.
Cincinnati (4-13, 0-7) will look to replace its top two scorers from a season ago, with sophomore Sam Mlkvy leading the way in 2017 after scoring six goals in BIG EAST play last season.
Butler begins its inaugural season of women’s lacrosse with a lineup that features 16 recruits, five transfers and seven players who attended Butler prior to the establishment of the team.
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Taylor Bresnahan, Florida, Sr., D
Sammi Burgess, Florida, Sr., A*
Cassie Ekstrom, Connecticut, Jr. D
Caroline Fitzgerald, Florida, Sr., D*
Morgan Glassford, Temple, Sr., M*
Callahan Kent, Vanderbilt, Sr., GK
Allison Lane, Marquette, Jr., M*
Brenda McDermott, Temple, Grad., A
Nicole Martindale, Denver, R-Jr., A
Grace Nolan, Connecticut, Jr., A*
Shayna Pirreca, Florida, Jr., A
Lindsey Ronbeck, Florida, So., A*
Julianna Shearer, Marquette, Sr., A
Mollie Stevens, Florida, Sr., M
Francesca Whitehurst, Georgetown, So., M*
Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Sammi Burgess, Florida, Sr., A
Lindsey Ronbeck, Florida, So., A
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Caroline Fitzgerald, Florida, Sr., D*
*unanimous selection