Davidson Picked 4th in A-10 Women’s Lax Preseason Poll
1/30/2019 2:25:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Gavin McFarlin - Associate SID
DavidsonPhotos.com
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Coming off a second straight trip to the semifinals in the Atlantic 10 Championship last year, Davidson was picked to finish fourth by the league's coaches in the 2019 preseason poll as announced today by the A-10 office.
The Wildcats received 63 points, one more than George Mason, and were picked behind Richmond (95, five first-place votes), UMass (94, five first-place votes) and Saint Joseph's (73).
Richmond was picked to repeat as A-10 Champions after tying a program best with a 16-4 record and downing UMass 12-11 in an overtime thriller over the top-seeded Minutewomen, who had their nine-year championship streak snapped. UMass had also been picked to finish first in the preseason poll for the past 10 consecutive seasons until this year.
"The conference standings are picked by fellow coaches who have seen what we are capable of since joining the A-10, and I believe we have earned their respect by obtaining a fourth place ranking," said head coach Kim Wayne, who is entering her 11th season at the helm. "I'm excited for the season and to follow the other A-10 schools during their regular season."
The 2019 Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Championship will be held April 25-28 at George Mason Stadium. The Championship will feature a bracket of six teams.
Davidson is coming off its first double-digit win total since 2014 after it finished 11-8 last year and 5-4 in the league. Coming back are nine scorers from a year ago, including a pair of 30-goal scorers in seniors Sarah Kopp and Shannon Blee, while Sophia Sgroi tallied 23 goals. The Wildcats will welcome 10 freshmen to the squad this year.
Kopp, a two-time team captain, had an all-around solid junior season capped off by being named to the 2018 A-10 All-First Team, while earning a spot on the A-10 All-Academic Team for the second straight season. She set several personal bests, finishing with career highs of 30 goals (third-most on the team) and 33 points on offense to go with 36 groundballs, 71 draw controls (tops on the team) and 15 caused turnovers. The junior from Victor, N.Y. started 14 of her 19 games played. Kopp's 71 draw controls were the second-most in a Wildcat single season.
"Last year was another exciting year for the lacrosse program," said Wayne. "Making it to the A-10 Tournament for the third consecutive year, while also beating a team we lost to in the regular season, is something we worked hard to accomplish. I am grateful for the leadership of our two former senior classes who played a big role in our past successes, and I believe this year's seniors will do the same. Charley, Annie, Lindsay, Sarah and Sophia have been exceptional role models and will do whatever they can to accomplish our team goals."
Davidson's other team captains this year are Sgroi (58 draw controls last year, sixth-most in a single season), Lindsay Rufolo (caused a personal-best 19 turnovers) and Shayne Antolini (career and team-high 23 assists).
Opening its 26th season on the road, the Wildcats will play at Winthrop, Feb. 10, for a 1 p.m. game.
2019 A-10 Preseason Lacrosse Poll (first place vote)
Richmond - 95 (5)
Massachusetts - 94 (5)
Saint Joseph's - 73
Davidson - 63
George Mason - 62
VCU - 55
George Washington - 34
La Salle - 31
Duquesne - 28
St. Bonaventure - 15
Total Voters- 10
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Coming off a second straight trip to the semifinals in the Atlantic 10 Championship last year, Davidson was picked to finish fourth by the league's coaches in the 2019 preseason poll as announced today by the A-10 office.
The Wildcats received 63 points, one more than George Mason, and were picked behind Richmond (95, five first-place votes), UMass (94, five first-place votes) and Saint Joseph's (73).
Richmond was picked to repeat as A-10 Champions after tying a program best with a 16-4 record and downing UMass 12-11 in an overtime thriller over the top-seeded Minutewomen, who had their nine-year championship streak snapped. UMass had also been picked to finish first in the preseason poll for the past 10 consecutive seasons until this year.
"The conference standings are picked by fellow coaches who have seen what we are capable of since joining the A-10, and I believe we have earned their respect by obtaining a fourth place ranking," said head coach Kim Wayne, who is entering her 11th season at the helm. "I'm excited for the season and to follow the other A-10 schools during their regular season."
The 2019 Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Championship will be held April 25-28 at George Mason Stadium. The Championship will feature a bracket of six teams.
Davidson is coming off its first double-digit win total since 2014 after it finished 11-8 last year and 5-4 in the league. Coming back are nine scorers from a year ago, including a pair of 30-goal scorers in seniors Sarah Kopp and Shannon Blee, while Sophia Sgroi tallied 23 goals. The Wildcats will welcome 10 freshmen to the squad this year.
Kopp, a two-time team captain, had an all-around solid junior season capped off by being named to the 2018 A-10 All-First Team, while earning a spot on the A-10 All-Academic Team for the second straight season. She set several personal bests, finishing with career highs of 30 goals (third-most on the team) and 33 points on offense to go with 36 groundballs, 71 draw controls (tops on the team) and 15 caused turnovers. The junior from Victor, N.Y. started 14 of her 19 games played. Kopp's 71 draw controls were the second-most in a Wildcat single season.
"Last year was another exciting year for the lacrosse program," said Wayne. "Making it to the A-10 Tournament for the third consecutive year, while also beating a team we lost to in the regular season, is something we worked hard to accomplish. I am grateful for the leadership of our two former senior classes who played a big role in our past successes, and I believe this year's seniors will do the same. Charley, Annie, Lindsay, Sarah and Sophia have been exceptional role models and will do whatever they can to accomplish our team goals."
Davidson's other team captains this year are Sgroi (58 draw controls last year, sixth-most in a single season), Lindsay Rufolo (caused a personal-best 19 turnovers) and Shayne Antolini (career and team-high 23 assists).
Opening its 26th season on the road, the Wildcats will play at Winthrop, Feb. 10, for a 1 p.m. game.
2019 A-10 Preseason Lacrosse Poll (first place vote)
Richmond - 95 (5)
Massachusetts - 94 (5)
Saint Joseph's - 73
Davidson - 63
George Mason - 62
VCU - 55
George Washington - 34
La Salle - 31
Duquesne - 28
St. Bonaventure - 15
Total Voters- 10
Players Mentioned
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