CMS Women's Lacrosse Picked No. 16 in Preseason Nike/US Lacrosse Poll
CLAREMONT, Calif. - The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's lacrosse team earned the No. 16 spot in the Nike/US Lacrosse Magazine preseason NCAA Division III poll, the publication announced this week.
The Athenas earned the lofty ranking after completing a season in which it went undefeated through the SCIAC, both regular season and tournament, for the third year in a row. CMS earned its third straight NCAA Division III bid with its league tournament title, before falling to No. 11 Amherst in the second round.
Heading into 2020, the Athenas need to replace its most prolific offensive weapon from a year ago, graduated senior All-American Corie Hack (72 goals), but they return their next five top scorers, led by junior Sally Abel (51 goals, 10 assists). Sophomores Alex Futterman (38-18-26) and Sammie Cohen (29-19-48) return after stellar rookie seasons last spring, while senior captain Allie Hill returns (10-34-44) to her role as the team's top feeder.
Defensively senior Zoe Ryan was the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the SCIAC Tournament last year, and she will anchor a back line in front of returning goalies Anna Gillespie (6.35 goals against average) and Emma Goldfield (8.06 goals against average). Sophomore Alex Wilson and senior Juliana Clark will also be returning defensively as the Athenas will look to continue their tradition of being one of the hardest teams to score on in the country, after ranking 11th in team defense a year ago (6.74 goals per game).
CMS finished the 2019 campaign with a 16-3 record, including 10-0 in the SCIAC, followed by wins in the SCIAC semifinals and finals, extending its winning streak against conference opponents to 36 straight. This year's senior class will attempt to make it through their entire collegiate careers without ever losing a conference game.
The Athenas open up their 2020 schedule with back-to-back SCIAC road contests at Chapman on Feb. 22 and at Pomona-Pitzer on Feb. 26, before hosting Occidental on Saturday, Feb. 29 in their home opener. The team's tough non-conference schedule will feature four straight road games in March against four national powers, Wesleyan University (No. 6 in US Lacrosse Magazine's preseason poll), The College of New Jersey (No. 9), Trinity College (also receiving consideration), and Colorado College (No. 15).
To view the complete Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Division III poll, head to the following link:
Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Poll