W&J headlines PAC women’s lacrosse preseason poll 2/12/2020 1:00:00 PM GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Washington & Jefferson College was named the favorite in this year’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll, which was released Wednesday along with the league’s Players to Watch list. The preseason coaches’ poll was voted on by the PAC’s eight head coaches. W&J, led by seventh-year head coach Alison Valerio, received six of eight first-place votes and 48 total points. The Presidents were picked first in the league's first-ever coaches' poll in 2019. Westminster College and first-year head coach Bethany Snider collected the remaining two first-place votes and 42 points to finish second in this year's poll. Westminster won the PAC's inaugural championship tournament last spring and opened its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Championship with a 16-8 victory over Notre Dame University of Maryland. Franciscan University, led by ninth-year head coach Maura (Conant) Carapellotti, finished third with 37 points. An affiliate member in lacrosse in 2019, Franciscan was announced as the PAC's 10th full member on April 16, 2019. Saint Vincent College was selected fourth (29) and was followed by Chatham University in fifth (26), Thiel College in sixth (22), Bethany College in seventh (12) and Waynesburg University in eighth (8). The women will play a full round robin conference schedule in 2020. The league’s four-team championship tournament is scheduled for Wednesday and Saturday, April 29 and May 2. The winner of the PAC Championship Tournament will receive the league’s automatic-qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. This spring, the PAC will be among 32 conferences granted a Pool A berth to the annual Division III Championship. The 44-team field for this year's Division III Championship will be announced on Monday, May 4. First and second round games are slated for Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10. 2020 PAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish) School (first-place votes) Points 2019 records 1. W&J (6) 48 9-8 (6-1 PAC) 2. Westminster (2) 42 15-3 (7-0 PAC) 3. Franciscan 37 8-7 (5-2 PAC) 4. Saint Vincent 29 4-8 (4-3 PAC) 5. Chatham 26 5-9 (2-5 PAC) 6. Thiel 22 8-8 (3-4 PAC) 7. Bethany 12 3-12 (1-6 PAC) 8. Waynesburg 8 0-14 (0-7 PAC) 2020 PAC Women's Lacrosse Players to Watch Bethany Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Trinity Dixon So. G Bowie, Md. | Bishop McNamara Elizabeth Poletis Fr. M La Plata, Md. | McDonough Rikiah Wise So. M Upper Marlboro, Md. | Bishop McNamara Chatham Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Kerry Carr So. M New Hartford, N.Y. | Millbrook School Bailey Donofrio FY D Oakdale, Pa. | Chartiers Valley Jennie Piotrzkowski So. D Stamford, Conn. | Greenwich Franciscan Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Grace Deegan So. A Akron, Ohio | Stow Maria Hilkert Jr. A Danville, Pa. | Danville Annie King So. M Westerville, Ohio | St. Francis DeSales Margaret McKee So. M Raleigh, N.C. | Cardinal Gibbons Saint Vincent Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Rachel Belles Sr. M Pittsburgh, Pa. | Vincentian Academy Claire Kenna Sr. D Chantilly, Va. | Seton School Joey Smith So. A Stevensville, Md. | Gunston School Thiel Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Destiny Johnson So. A Baltimore, Md. | Western Mackenzie Quinn Sr. M Carnegie, Pa. | Chartiers Valley Maddy Wightman So. A Glenshaw, Pa. | Shaler W&J Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Sam Lenfesty So. G Frederick, Md. | Frederick Clara Sherwood So. M Indiana, Pa. | Indiana Katelyn White Sr. D Linthicum, Md. | North County Waynesburg Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Jackie Adler Sr. A Allison Park, Pa. | Hampton Kristyn Byler So. M Belleville, Pa. | Belleville Mennonite Bre Martini Jr. M Pickerington, Ohio | Pickerington North Eve O'Sullivan Fr. A Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe Westminster Name Yr. Pos. Hometown | High School Bria Braddock Sr. A Beaver Falls, Pa. | Blackhawk Marisa Keller Jr. D Canonsburg, Pa. | Canon-McMillan Ava Krensky FY M Bethesda, Md. | Walter Johnson —top—