Women's Lacrosse Set to Begin 2018 Season
CLAREMONT, Calif. – The 2018 season is on the horizon for the No. 20 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's lacrosse team. The Athenas will kick off their season on the road against UC Davis on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m.
See below for a quick preview of the upcoming season:
A Look Back
The Athenas saw a successful 2017 campaign, sweeping through SCIAC play as well as the conference tournament to win the program's first SCIAC Tournament Title. This earned CMS women's lacrosse their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 and clinched a First Round bye. CMS was chosen to host the NCAA Regional where the Athenas ultimately fell to regional rival Colorado College in the Second Round. They finished the season 16-2, their only losses coming against Tufts and Colorado College.
Nine Athenas were named to the All-SCIAC women's lacrosse team, with five earning First Team honors. Katie Hill (CMC) was named Defensive Player of the Year after running a defense that led the SCIAC with a 5.00 goals allowed average. Also named to First Team were Cara Cancelmo (CMC), Lauren Clubb (CMC), and Evan Murphy (CMC). Emily Cohen (CMC) was the only freshman named to the First Team. Corie Hack (CMC), Allie Hill (CMC), Luisa Valles (CMC) and Kira Weiss (CMC) earned spots on the All-SCIAC Second Team.
In addition to their All-SCIAC honors, Cancelmo and Murphy both earned IWLCA All-West Region First Team. Clubb, Cohen and Hill were named Second Team All-Region.
On the Field
CMS women's lacrosse graduated four seniors from the 2017 roster, including All-Region selection Cancelmo.
The Athenas will look to senior captains Evan Murphy, Katie Hill and Lauren Clubb for leadership on the field this season. There will also be a lot of new faces with CMS adding nine freshmen to the 2018 roster.
Hill was the backbone of the Athenas' defense and midfield last season and returns for her senior season after a successful 2017. Hill finished second on the team with 39 groundballs and 22 caused turnovers. Joining Hill on the defensive unit are Hack, Cohen and Valles. As mentioned, the group held opponents to just 5.00 goals per game last season and look to build upon their success from last year.
Murphy was one of the most versatile players on the field in her first season with the Athenas. She collected 31 goals with 10 assists for a total of 41 points. Murphy led CMS with 50 groundballs and racked up a SCIAC leading 40 caused turnovers.
Offensively the Athenas return 85.3% of the goals from a year ago (237-278). Emily Cohen and Corie Hack led the way offensively in 2017, combining to score 93 goals. The duo will look to do more of the same in the upcoming season.
Clubb served as the team's big playmaker with a team-leading 24 assists paired with 23 goals.
What to Watch For
The Athenas begin the 2018 season on Feb. 18 against Division I opponent UC Davis on the road. SCIAC play begins Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Los Angeles when CMS takes on Occidental College.
CMS will have their home opener on Mar. 7 when the Athenas take on the Rhodes Lynx at Zinda Field.
On March 18 CMS will travel to face rival Colorado College in a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Regional Second Round. The Athenas took the first meeting between the two teams in the regular season 15-11 before falling to the Tigers 15-12 in the NCAA Tournament.
On the Sidelines
Head coach Lauren Uhr enters her seventh year at the helm of the Athenas' lacrosse team after leading the team to its first SCIAC Tournament Title last year. Uhr was the coach from 2004-06 before returning to the Athenas' bench prior to the 2015 season. In her two stints with CMS, Uhr has led the Athenas to a 71-26 overall record and a 23-9 mark in SCIAC play. Joining Uhr on the bench is second-year assistant coach Rachael Martinez.