SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Seven-time defending Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) champion Endicott College has been tabbed as the favorite to win the 2013 CCC women's lacrosse championship, it was announced today by Commissioner Gregg M. Kaye.

Voting for the preseason poll was conducted among the league's head women's lacrosse coaches.

Endicott (12-6, 7-0) received all nine first-place votes in the 2013 CCC preseason poll. University of New England (12-5, 6-1) was selected as the runner-up, while Gordon College (14-4, 5-2) was slotted third, Roger Williams University (6-12, 3-4) was tabbed fourth and Western New England University (6-12, 3-4) was selected to finish fifth.

Consistency has been the hallmark of Endicott's women's lacrosse program in their recent history, as the Gulls are coming off of their seventh consecutive CCC championship and NCAA tournament appearance. Fifth year head coach Meghan Fitzgerald has an experienced and deep roster this year, which includes six seniors returning to the Gulls, all of them starters and important leaders spread throughout all three positions on the field. It starts with attack, which means Holly Davis and Kelly Tierney. Davis, who scored 52 goals last season and was the team-leader with 84 draw controls, is a two-time All-CCC and All-IWLCA Pilgrim Region selection, while Tierney, who had 42 goals and 24 assists, was named to the All-CCC Second Team last year and was second on the Gulls in points. On the defensive side of the ball, captain Stacia Geno will anchor the back-line, joined by Lauren Todd, a two-time All-CCC Honorable Mention player, who led the team with 20 caused turnovers a year ago, while grabbing 35 ground balls and also scoring 21 goals, and Gabrielle Boyle, who is one of the leaders of a new defensive system because of her conditioning and intelligence on the field.

The University of New England's fifth year head coach Sue Estabrook returns Gina Newsome, the reigning CCC Rookie of the Year, and Nicolle Steel, CCC Defensive Player of the Year, and has four of her top five scorers back on the field. The Nor'easters will be led Hannah Tavella (67 goals, 15 assists) and Newsome (42 goals, 33 assists) up front, while Steel (55 ground balls, 44 caused turnovers) and Emily Lodge (20 goals, 56 draw controls, 48 ground balls, 30 caused turnovers) will anchor a strong midfield unit. All four players were named to the All-CCC team last season for Big Blue, which matched the program-record for wins with 12.

Gordon's head coach Cory Ward will rely on the veteran presence of 2012 CCC All-Conference honorees graduate student Krysti Leach, and juniors Anna Blomberg and Stephanie Fitzgerald to lead the charge this coming season. Leach, a midfield All-CCC First Team selection, was the team's leader in ground balls (47), co-leader in caused turnovers (19), and second-leader in draw controls (92). Blomberg, a fellow midfield first team honoree, ended the season as the CCC's leader in goals (70) and goals per game (3.89), while Fitzgerald, an honorable mention midfielder, led the league in draw controls (127), draw controls per game (7.47), and game-winning goals (4).

The Roger Williams women's lacrosse team hopes to advance further in the CCC Tournament as the team prepares for the 2013 season. After finishing the 2012 season with a 6-12 overall record and advancing to the CCC Semifinals against top-seeded Endicott, head coach Kerry Hausdorf will look to re-establish the Hawks in the conference and make it back to the CCC Championship game for the first time since 2010. With the help of key returners and 2012 All-CCC honorees in sophomore defender Mackenzie Logan and junior defender Catherine Smeykal, the RWU women's lacrosse team is shaping up to be a dominant force this season.

What Western New England lacks in experience, the team makes up for in strength in numbers. The 2013 edition of the Golden Bears will be young with 18 freshmen and sophomores among 24 players. Veterans Megan Doyle, Janelle Gordon, Julianne Green, Ali Pepe, Jillian Saley and Kelsey Sherman will be looked upon to provide leadership as the program looks to improve on its 6-12 record and 3-4 CCC mark for a fourth-place tie a year ago. Doyle (29 goals, 43 points) is back as a graduate student after earning All-CCC Honorable Mention in 2012. Sophomore Jessica Scannapieco, who is WNE's top returning goal-scorer and point producer, joins Doyle in the midfield and enjoyed a stellar freshman campaign in which she made honorable mention all-conference, racking up 38 goals and 49 points. Scannapieco also led the team with 83 draw controls last season. Coach Aimee Klepacki enters her 14th season at the helm.

The Salve Regina University (11-6, 3-4) women's lacrosse team returns three of its four All-CCC selections from a year ago, including first team standout senior Kelly Burke tied for third in the conference with 52 goals during the regular season, while also ranking fourth in points (75). The junior midfielder scored on 60.9% of her shots and led the Seahawks with 60 draw controls on the year. Burke finished the year with 53 goals for 76 points. Returning with Burke are junior second team All-CCC selections Danielle Malconian and Josephine O'Reilly. Malconian and O'Reilly were two of the top defensive players in the league last year and will anchor the Seahawk defense this season. Malconian caused a team-high 24 turnovers and picked up a team-leading 59 ground balls while O'Reilly started all 17 games in net, with a 46.7% save percentage and a 12.05 goals against average in 996:00 minutes between the pipes. Head Coach Jen Foster will look to Burke and Malconian to lead the team on and off the field as team captains.

The Curry College (7-10, 0-7) women's lacrosse team has high expectations for the 2013 season. The Colonels are looking to rebound from their 2012 season and get back to being one of the top teams in the CCC. Head coach Caitlin Roberts' 2013 squad includes 12 returners and 11 newcomers. On defense they return junior Mel Brickey, a Second Team All-CCC player. On attack, senior co-captain Ana Bottary, a second team selection, is back to lead her team offensively. Newcomers who should make an immediate impact are freshmen Emma Bolton and Alexis Cran.

The Nichols College Bison (7-8, 1-6) and fourth-year head coach Damir Pesa, welcome back two of their three leading scorers from last season's record-setting 7-8 campaign. Sophomore Grace Murphy leads the returners with 36 goals, while classmate Sam MacMillan followed with 29 goals as each student-athlete doled out a trio of helpers. Murphy will also be charged with draw control duties after finishing second on the team with 39 last season. Defensively, Nichols looks to second-year senior captain Darcy Russell to lead the corps that includes juniors Julie Monroe and Shelby Aminti. Monroe paces the returners with 18 caused turnovers while sophomore Alyssa Bufis collected a team-high 45 ground balls.

The Wentworth Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team enters its first season of varsity competition with much anticipation and excitement. With many players returning from a successful club season last year as well as the addition of some talented freshmen, the Leopards under first year head coach Helena Iaquinta hope to have a competitive inaugural season. Sophomore Jess Houghton will take the majority of the draws and will be relied on to control the offensive end of the field. She will be joined by seniors Meg Ferro, Lisa Piccirillo, and Liv Gardner. Junior Decia Splaine, sophomore Beverly Farris, and senior Mirela Baric will anchor the Leopards' defense.

(Release Courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference Office)

2013 CCC PRESEASON WOMEN'S LACROSSE POLL

Teams received nine points for every first place vote received, eight points for second place votes, seven points for third place votes, down to one point for a last place vote. First place votes are shown in parentheses.

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