Limestone College Selected to Win 2017 Conference Carolinas Women's Lacrosse Championship
HIGH POINT, N.C. – Limestone College were named the early favorite to win the 2017 Conference Carolinas Women's Lacrosse Championship, the league announced today. The Saints garnered 90 points and nine first-place votes from conference coaches.
Limestone finished 2016 with an overall record of 15-4 and 8-0 in conference play. The Saints swept both the 2016 Conference Carolinas regular season Conference Carolinas Women's Lacrosse Championship crowns.
The University of Mount Olive placed second in the poll with 81 points. The Trojans posted a 13-6 overall record and a 7-1 Conference Carolinas mark in 2016.
Finishing third in the preseason poll was Belmont Abbey College with 75 points and one first-place vote. The Crusaders notched an 11-7 overall mark in 2016, which included a 6-2 Conference Carolinas record.
Tallying 66 points and coming in at fourth was Pfeiffer University, followed by North Greenville University in fifth with 54 points and Lees-McRae College in sixth with 48 points.
The Falcons posted a 6-12 record in 2016, with a 5-3 league record. The Crusaders of North Greenville turned in a 9-9 overall record and 4-4 mark in Conference Carolinas action. The Bobcats went 5-12 overall and 3-5 in conference.
In seventh is Converse College with 36 points, narrowly ahead of Erskine College in eighth with 35 points. Closing out the poll in ninth is Chowan University with 29 points and Barton College in 10th with 26 points.
The Valkyries notched a 3-11 overall record and 2-6 conference mark in 2016. The Flying Fleet were 0-10 overall and 0-8 in league action. The Hawks, who went 1-13 in 2016, enter their first season as associate members of Conference Carolinas, while the Bulldogs begin their inaugural season in 2017.
The 2017 Conference Carolinas women's lacrosse season begins on Friday, Feb. 3.
2017 Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Limestone (9) |
90 |
| 2. Mount Olive |
81 |
| 3. Belmont Abbey (1) |
75 |
| 4. Pfeiffer |
66 |
| 5. North Greenville |
54 |
| 6. Lees-McRae |
48 |
| 7. Converse |
36 |
| 8. Erskine |
35 |
| 9. Chowan |
29 |
| 10. Barton |
26 |
2017 Conference Carolinas Women's Lacrosse Players to Watch:
Attack (Year):
Aubrie Lauderdale (Jr.) - Converse
Brittni Jones (Jr.) - Converse
Maddie Drawdy (Fr.) - Erskine
Peyton LeCompte (Jr.) - Lees-McRae
Tiffany Laster (Jr.) - Lees-McRae
Shannon Sisk (Jr.) - Limestone
Carleigh Davis (Sr.) - Limestone
Micheala Ciciarelli (Jr.) - Mount Olive
Ally Unkenholz (So.) - Pfeiffer
Midfield (Year):
Alyssa Torres (Fr.) - Barton
Lauren Bullock (So.) - Barton
Kelly Dolan (Sr.) - Barton
Katelin Glass (Sr.) - Belmont Abbey
Erin Kunkel (Sr.) - Belmont Abbey
Hailey Dobbins (So.) - Mount Olive
Monica Colwell (Jr.) - North Greenville
Molly O'Friel (Jr.) - Pfeiffer
Defense (Year):
Kassie Easter (Sr.) - Belmont Abbey
Katie Schlagenhauf (Fr.) - Erskine
Marley Llinas (Sr.) - Erskine
Rose Blackburn (So.) - Limestone
Gina Fader (Sr.) - Mount Olive
Candace Petit (Jr.) - North Greenville
Josie Lent (Jr.) - Pfeiffer
Goalie (Year):
Sydney Taylor (So.) - North Greenville
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan University. Emmanuel College is currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.