Posted: Feb 12, 2011
FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University earned 100 total points and received all 10 first place votes in the 2011 ODAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. Lynchburg College holds down the second position after picking up 87 points in the annual survey of the league's coaches, while Roanoke College rounds out the top three with 82 tallies.
Defending ODAC champions, Washington and Lee, was also recently tabbed 14th in the Lacrosse Magazine preseason poll and 15th in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Association (IWLCA) listing. The Generals advanced to the ODAC championship game for the eighth-consecutive season where they defeated Lynchburg College, 14-6, to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, eventually falling to Elizabethtown College, 13-12, in the first round.
Washington and Lee (14-5 overall, 8-0 ODAC) returns five All-ODAC honorees from last season, including a pair of first team members in goalkeeper Katharine Farrar and midfielder Emmy Mathews. Farrar posted an 8.61 goals-against average and a .473 save percentage, while Mathews finished third on the team in scoring with 41 points, while collecting 31 ground balls, 34 draw controls and 20 caused turnovers. Farrar and Mathews also collected First Team IWLCA All-Chesapeake Region accolades. Other returning honorees include attacker Wilton Megargel (45pts, 37g, 8a), midfielder Christina Benedetti (12g, 4a, 31GB, 25DC) and defender Kathy Brown (40GB, 31CT, 21DC), who all were tabbed to the second squad.
Lynchburg (14-4 overall, 6-2 ODAC) made their first trip to the ODAC championship game since 2001 a year ago. Head Coach Bruce Reid, the 2010 ODAC Coach of the Year, welcomes back four All-ODAC members, including three first team selections to the turf. Attacker Lesley Buckingham, midfielder Morgan Logue and defender Emily McMillan were all tabbed to the All-ODAC first team. Buckingham totaled a program record 59 goals, while dishing out a team-high 17 assists. Logue led the team in draw controls (44) and caused turnovers (29), while finishing second on the team in goals (39), points (49), and groundballs (29). McMillan was part of the defense that led the league in goals against average (7.68). Goalkeeper Christina Tran garnered Second Team All-ODAC laurels a year ago as she recorded a 7.78 goals against average and stopped 51.6% of shots on goal.
Roanoke (9-7 overall, 7-1 ODAC) has its eyes set on an 11th overall conference championship in 2011. The Maroons welcome back two key student-athletes, including two-time ODAC Player of the Year, senior midfielder Gina Valles. A 2010 First Team IWLCA All-America pick, Valles broke her own single-season scoring record in points (109). She also led the conference in goals (67) and assists (42). Senior midfielder Meegan Rourke earned Second Team All-ODAC accolades after she tied the school-record in caused turnovers with 46. She also tallyied 26 goals and 10 assists for 46 points.
The Maroons schedule isn't easy, going up against five teams ranked in the IWLCA Div. III Pre-Season Top-25 poll. In a span of 15 days, the women will go up against Elizabethtown (RV), defending national champion, Salisbury (#1), SUNY-Cortland (#6) and Washington and Lee (#15). The also have a match-up against #16 Mary Washington on Apr. 13, as the Eagles were national quarterfinalists in 2010. Six 2011 opponents on the schedule were NCAA Tournament participants a year ago.
Listed below is the complete 2011 ODAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. For more information, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.
2011 ODAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes
2011 ODAC WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes
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1. Washington and Lee (10)
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100 pts.
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2. Lynchburg
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87 pts.
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3. Roanoke
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82 pts.
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4. Randolph-Macon
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68 pts.
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5. Virginia Wesleyan
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57 pts.
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6. Guilford
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53 pts.
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7. Bridgewater
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42 pts.
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8. Sweet Briar
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31 pts.
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9. Hollins
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18 pts.
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10. Randolph
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12 pts.
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