University of Massachusets Athletics
Women's Lax Picked as A-10 Champion in Preseason Poll
February 03, 2017 | Women's Lacrosse
Minutewomen tabbed to win unprecedented ninth consecutive league title.
AMHERST, Mass. – With the start of the 2017 season just four days away, the No. 16 UMass women's lacrosse team was picked today to repeat as Atlantic 10 champions for the ninth consecutive year. The Minutewomen were picked first in the preseason Atlantic 10 coaches' poll, receiving 9-of-10 first place votes. Richmond was the only other team to receive first place votes.
The Maroon and White are coming off of a 20-2 season in which UMass won the Atlantic 10 title and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. The Minutewomen look to replace last year's leading scorers Erika Eipp and Nicole Troost, but do return attacks Holly Turner and Callie Santos. UMass also returns preseason All-American Hannah Murphy who won 152 draws last year - a single-season UMass record. She ranks 12th all-time in NCAA history with 310 draws. Sam Walters and Aileen Kelly return in net after a very impressive season last year with the pair splitting halves of each game. Kelly had a goals-against-average of 6.24 and a 3-0-0 record. Walters posted a GAA of 7.91 and a record of 17-2-0.
Richmond finished sixth in the Atlantic 10 standings last season with a record of 9-10. They lost in the Atlantic 10 championship against UMass. The Spiders return their leading point scorer Kim Egizi.
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship will be held May 4-7 at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The Championship will feature a six-team bracket.
UMass opens the season against Boston College on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 3:30 p.m. The Commonwealth opponents are both ranked in the top 20 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Minutewomen are ranked No. 16 and the Eagles ranked No. 17.
For complete coverage of the UMass women's lacrosse team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter and Facebook at @UMassLacrosse, on Instagram at @UMassWLAX and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
The Maroon and White are coming off of a 20-2 season in which UMass won the Atlantic 10 title and reached the NCAA Elite Eight. The Minutewomen look to replace last year's leading scorers Erika Eipp and Nicole Troost, but do return attacks Holly Turner and Callie Santos. UMass also returns preseason All-American Hannah Murphy who won 152 draws last year - a single-season UMass record. She ranks 12th all-time in NCAA history with 310 draws. Sam Walters and Aileen Kelly return in net after a very impressive season last year with the pair splitting halves of each game. Kelly had a goals-against-average of 6.24 and a 3-0-0 record. Walters posted a GAA of 7.91 and a record of 17-2-0.
Richmond finished sixth in the Atlantic 10 standings last season with a record of 9-10. They lost in the Atlantic 10 championship against UMass. The Spiders return their leading point scorer Kim Egizi.
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship will be held May 4-7 at Sweeney Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The Championship will feature a six-team bracket.
UMass opens the season against Boston College on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at 3:30 p.m. The Commonwealth opponents are both ranked in the top 20 in the IWLCA Coaches Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Minutewomen are ranked No. 16 and the Eagles ranked No. 17.
For complete coverage of the UMass women's lacrosse team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter and Facebook at @UMassLacrosse, on Instagram at @UMassWLAX and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
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