Conference Carolinas

Limestone Voted Number One in Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Preseason Poll

1/30/2014 12:00:00 AM

 

High Point, NC – A national runner-up finish, program record 20 wins and a ninth straight Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship and sixth consecutive tournament title, paired with one of the top returning classes in the country, has Limestone women’s lacrosse at the head of the Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll for an eighth straight year.

In 2013 the Saints delivered the best season in program history as they broke the team record for wins in a season with 20 and advanced to their second NCAA Division II National Championship Game in a span of three years.

Returning from a program that notched that 20^th win with a double-overtime victory over No. 3 Rollins in the national semifinals, and pushed eventual two-time champion LIU-Post to the limit in the title game, are senior attack Sarah Oor, senior midfielder Katie Farrell and junior midfielder Sam McCarrick.

This group combined for 147 goals, 93 assists, 247 points and 102 groundballs to lead Limestone last year and is expected to factor heavily into this year’s success. Oor along last season delivered the greatest season in program history with 43 goals and single season records of 73 assists and 116 points and also broke the career record in both of the last two categories. With that type of production, she earned the first IWLCA All-American First-Team honor in her career.

McCarrick scored 53 goals for second place on last year’s squad and added 12 assists for 65 points and 36 groundballs while Farrell erupted for a career-high 51 goals, more than doubling her previous career total. She also added eight assists and 30 groundballs for the No. 2 team in the country last season.

For the fifth-straight season, Pfeiffer University has been selected second in the annual coaches’ poll. The Falcons are coming off their first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament and their 14 wins in 2013 were the second most in school history. Pfeiffer was 10-0 at home and had two victories over top-15 teams.

Coming off an impressive sophomore season, junior Ashleigh Kassab will lead the Falcons on offense. Kassab finished second in the conference with 57 goals scored and her 29 goals in conference action led the league. Kassab added 12 assists and 69 points on the season, while earning First Team All-Conference honors.

Last season’s Defender of the Year, Katherine Athens, also returns for the Falcons. A season ago, Athens picked up 44 groundballs to go along with 26 caused turnovers and 79 draw controls. Athens has catapulted herself into the school-record books becoming the all-time caused turnovers leader with 101 while jumping up to third all-time with 173 groundballs. Athens also added eight goals and three assists on offense.

Picked to finish third, the Belmont Abbey women’s lacrosse team returns two all-conference selections from last year’s team that advanced to the semifinal round of the Conference Carolinas Tournament.

The Crusaders return 2013 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year Mackenzie Miller, who finished her freshman year with 35 goals and two assists, despite missing the final two games of the regular season. Twelve of her goals came on free position strikes as she also scored a career-best seven goals on two occasions. She scored 16 goals in conference play. Katy Connery, a first team all-conference selection, led the Crusaders in goals (35) and draw control wins (53).

Mount Olive, finished fourth in the poll with Converse fifth followed by Erskine, and Lee-McRae College respectively rounding-out the poll standings.

 

Conference Carolinas Women’s Lacrosse Pre-Season Poll         

(# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis)