Two Tri-State Area Squads in IWLCA Division I Coaches Pre-Season Poll Top 10

The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) released their pre-season Top 25 Coaches Poll on Monday. Two local teams have been ranked in the Top 10. Stony Brook is ranked second overall, and received one first place vote. Princeton sits at No. 9 to open the season.

Stony Brook is the only team to received a first place vote outside of defending national champion Maryland who received 24 first place votes. The Seawolves are coming off a 2017 season in which they went 20-2 overall, falling to Maryland in the NCAA Quarterfinal round. Stony Brook captured it’s fifth-straight America East title last year while winning 20 games in a season for the first time in program history.

Among their key returning players are Kylie Ohlmiller (78 goals, 86 assists), Taryn Ohlmiller (65 goals, 36 assists), and Anna Tesoriero (7.27 goals-against average). Also returning is redshirt senior Courtney Murphy who led the NCAA in goals (100) in 2016.

Stony Brook opens the regular season on Feb. 16 at USC.

The Princeton Tigers are looking to build off their fourth consecutive Ivy League championship a season ago, and they are in good position to do just that. Despite losing two-time All-American, Ellie DeGarmo, who led the nation in save percentage the last two seasons, the Tigers have reloaded. Princeton head coach Chris Sailer was able to bring in the second-best ranked recruiting class in the nation this season.

Princeton finished the 2017 season with a 15-4 overall record, an Ivy League title, an Ivy League Tournament championship and its 25th NCAA tournament appearance. The Tigers season ended in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament when it lost to Penn State.

A third area team saw itself just outside the Top 10 as the Penn Quakers are ranked No. 12 in the pre-season poll.