WINTHROP, Mass. - The Albertus Magnus College women's lacrosse team has been picked to finish 13th in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Coaches' Poll, as announced by the league office on Monday morning.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcons opted out of the 2021 season and didn't participate in NCAA play. In 2020, the Falcons went 1-1 with a 16-15 victory over Elms College before the pandemic canceled the remainder of the season.
The Falcons sport a largely brand-new roster under first-year head coach Danielle Pannone and will look to have a competitive season in their upcoming slate of games. Laila Webb (Montclair, N.J.), Amanda McGeehan (Milford, Conn.), Lillian Woods (New London, N.H.), Keegan Riccio (West Haven, Conn.), Bridget Rosikiewicz (Naugatuck, Conn.), and Kelly Musante (Wallingford, Conn.) all return to the Falcons, to support an 11-person cast of newcomers.
With their new roster and new head coach, the Falcons earned 44 points in this year's Preseason Coaches' Poll, finishing in 13th-place, ahead of Dean College (22 points).
Johnson & Wales University took the top slot in the rankings, with 184 points and 8 of the possible 14 first-place votes. The Emmanuel Saints were close behind with 179 points and four of the remaining six first-place votes. Saint Joseph's College of Maine took the third slot in the rankings with 162 points and one first-place vote. Lasell University, Simmons University, Regis (Mass.) College and Colby-Sawyer College took the middle slots with 152 points, 145 points, 127 points, and 107 points, respectively.
(8-12) In the lower third of the rankings, the Norwich University Cadets took home eighth place with 95 points and the final first-place vote, while Elms College followed with 76 points. Rivier University slotted in at tenth place with 63 points, while the Blue Jays of Saint Joseph's CT took the 11th slot with 62 points. Finally, the Anna Maria AMCATS took the 12th spot in the rankings with 52 points.
2022 GNAC WLAX Preseason Poll
1. JWU (8) - 184
2. Emmanuel (4) - 179
3. Saint Joseph's ME (1) - 162
4. Lasell - 152
5. Simmons - 145
6. Regis - 127
7. Colby-Sawyer - 107
8. Norwich (1) - 95
9. Elms - 76
10. Rivier - 63
11. USJ CT - 62
12. Anna Maria - 52
13. Albertus Magnus - 44
14. Dean - 22
