Kick-Off To 2018
Eight BIG EAST teams lift the lid on their 2018 campaigns this weekend for a combined nine games. Six games come against teams either ranked or receiving votes, including a top-25 showdown to open the year between unanimous BIG EAST preseason favorite No. 5/5 Florida and No. 17/16 Colorado, which was tabbed second in the inaugural Pac-12 Poll, Sunday at noon ET. Marquette is the lone squad to play two games over the weekend, visiting No. 22/RV Johns Hopkins on Friday and -/RV Louisville on Sunday. Additional season openers include Connecticut at No. 7/7 Syracuse (Friday, 5 p.m.), Cincinnati hosting Louisville (Friday, 3 p.m.), Temple welcoming Rutgers (Saturday, 1 p.m.), RV/RV Denver hosting -/RV Stanford (Saturday, 3 p.m.), Georgetown welcoming Saint Josephs (Saturday, 3 p.m.) and Vanderbilt traveling to Kennesaw State (Sunday, Noon). Fellow BIG EAST schools Butler (at Michigan, Feb. 16) and Villanova (at Cornell, Feb. 17) begin their seasons next week.
BIG EAST Preseason Recap
Three-time reigning BIG EAST women’s lacrosse champion Florida was unanimously selected to win a fourth league crown as the Conference announced its annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll on Jan. 26. The Gators collected six Preseason All-BIG EAST Team certificates, including a pair by BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Lindsey Ronbeck and Defensive Player of the Year Haley Hicklen. In three seasons as a BIG EAST affiliate member in women’s lacrosse, Florida has tallied a 22-1 conference record, having won 16 consecutive league matches by an average victory of over 11 goals per game. The Gators have never lost a BIG EAST Championship match, going 6-0 in three postseason appearances, winning each of those contests by an average of 9.5 goals. Florida claimed all nine available first-place votes for 81 points, while 2017 runner-up Denver garnered the other top vote and 73 points for second-place honors. Georgetown placed third with 62 points, followed by Temple in fourth (56 points) and Connecticut in fifth (49). Vanderbilt and Marquette tied for sixth with 37 points apiece, with Villanova (27 points), Cincinnati (19) and Butler (9) rounding out the poll.
National Preseason Polls
Two BIG EAST women’s lacrosse members were recognized in the national preseason polls, led by Florida, who landed at No. 5 in both the IWLCA Poll and Inside lacrosse Media Poll. The Gators went 17-3 last season, including a 9-0 BIG EAST record and five wins over ranked opponents. BIG EAST runner-up in its first season as an affiliate member, Denver received votes in both national polls after posting a 13-3 overall mark, 7-2 in conference play in 2017. BIG EAST teams combined for six wins over ranked opponents last year during non-conference action, with the Gators earning the highest win when they knocked off No. 3/3 USC, 15-10, on Feb. 24. The Pioneers’ top win came on Feb. 12 over No. 12/12 Stanford, 10-7.
Weekly Schedule
Friday
Marquette at 22/RV Johns Hopkins, 2 p.m.
-/RV Louisville at Cincinnati, 3 p.m.
UConn at 7/7 Syracuse, 5 p.m.
Saturday
Rutgers at Temple, 1 p.m.
-/RV Stanford at RV/RV Denver, 3 p.m.
Saint Joseph’s at Georgetown, 3 p.m.
Sunday
17/16 Colorado at 5/5 Florida, Noon
Vanderbilt at Kennesaw State, Noon
Marquette at -/RV Louisville, 1 p.m.
All Times Eastern