BAY CITY, Mich. - The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) women's lacrosse coaches selected Grand Valley State University to win the league title in the 2017 GLIAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. The Lakers are the four-time defending GLIAC regular season and tournament champions since the sports inception in 2013.
The league's head coaches participated in the balloting, but were not allowed to vote for their own team.
GVSU finished atop of the 2017 GLIAC Preseason poll after receiving 49 points and all seven eligible first place-votes. Tiffin University arrived in second with 42 points and one first-place vote.
The McKendree Bearcats (34) edged out Indianapolis (31) for the No. 3 position, while Findlay accumulated 26 points as the Oilers were selected fifth. The final three positions consisted of: No. 6 Lake Erie (22), No. 7 Walsh (12), No. 8 Northern Michigan (8).
The 2017 GLIAC women's lacrosse schedule will feature a single round-robin format with each of the eight teams playing seven conference games beginning on April 7th. The GLIAC women's lacrosse tournament will include the top six teams in the final regular season standings with the top two teams receiving byes into the semifinals. GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal matches will be played at the sites of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Tuesday, May 2nd. The Tournament semifinals and final will be held at the site of the No. 1 seed on Friday, May 5th and Sunday, May 7th.
| 2017 GLIAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll | ||
| Rank | Institution | Votes (First) |
| 1. | Grand Valley State | 49 (7) |
| 2. | Tiffin | 42 (1) |
| 3. | McKendree | 34 |
| 4. | Indianapolis | 31 |
| 5. | Findlay | 26 |
| 6. | Lake Erie | 22 |
| 7. | Walsh | 12 |
| 8. | Northern Michigan | 8 |
-- The following are previews of all eight GLIAC Lacrosse teams for the 2017 season --
Grand Valley State Lakers
Head Coach: Alicia Groveston - 6th Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 1st
OVERVIEW:
Grand Valley State enters the 2017 season as the eighth-ranked team nationally by the IWLCA and is fresh off of the first NCAA Division II Tournament birth in the history of the program. The Lakers won their fourth consecutive GLIAC Tournament title last season after a 15-4 (11-1 GLIAC) record in the regular season.
The Lakers open their season against five teams who rank in the IWLCA Preseason Top 20 facing off against #1 Florida Southern, #2 Adelphi, #3 Le Moyne, #12 Bentley, and #20 Pace. GVSU defeated Florida Southern in their season-opener last season and open the 2017 season against the Mocs this year.
Tiffin Dragons
Head Coach: Erica Brown - 5th Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 2nd
OVERVIEW:
The Tiffin University women's lacrosse team will look to build off a record setting 2016 campaign, winning a program record 12 games a year ago. Tiffin returns 12 players from last season, and has replenished the pantry with young talent that they hope will make an immediate impact.
Offensively, Tori Nelson will be a threat. Nelson, a 2-time 1st team All-GLIAC performer, will anchor a squad that scored 259 goals last season. Tori is also one of the top draw control players in the nation, swiping 121 last year. Morgan Sherley is another Dragon that can score, tallying 43 goals last year. Sherley can also find an open teammate, collecting 19 assists in 2016.
On the defensive end, Tiffin surrendered 159 goals last year, led in goal by the GLIAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Kat Schneeberger. The Tiffin keeper allowed 10.29 goals per game, and made 142 saves. Randi Castner is one of Tiffin's toughest defenders, forcing 23 turnovers and snagging 26 groundballs. Tiffany Anderson has been wreaking havoc on the defensive end for a few seasons now, causing 11 turnovers last year.
The Dragons' schedule is littered with tough opponents. The season begins in South Carolina, where Tiffin will play Florida Tech in a neutral site contest. Tiffin jumps into GLIAC play on April 7, welcoming Northern Michigan University to Frost-Kalnow Stadium.
McKendree Bearcats
Head Coach: Melissa Gyllenborg - 3rd Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 3rd
OVERVIEW:
The McKendree University women's lacrosse team was picked third in the GLIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Last season the Bearcats finished 9-10 overall and posted a 6-6 mark in the GLIAC to advance to the second round of the GLIAC Tournament.
McKendree returns the first team All-Conference attack duo in Dana DiPasquale and Paige Salthouse. DiPasquale finished seventh in the nation in assists along with leading the GLIAC. Salthouse buried 64 goals on last season's campaign to finish third in the GLIAC.
Indianapolis Greyhounds
Head Coach: Jillian Howley - 2nd Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 4th
OVERVIEW:
After compiling a 6-12 record in last year's inaugural campaign that included four GLIAC wins, UIndy women's lacrosse returns nearly all of its still-young team in 2017. Leading goal scorer and All-GIAC second teamer Chalane Morrison returns to the fold for her senior season. The Pfeiffer transfer racked up team highs with 44 goals and 52 points in 2016, with the latter good for eighth in the league. She finished the season with 23 goals in the final seven games, including a five-goal performance in the GLIAC Tournament loss to McKendree.
Morrison is joined by fellow-attacker and Anna Rulapough, who added 29 goals while leading the Hounds with 19 assists on the way to All-GLIAC Honorable Mention accolades. The Churchton, Md., native scored the program's first-ever goal last February in a blowout win versus Urbana.
Senior Erika Mackenzie returns to the UIndy midfield. An All-GLIAC Second Team performer last season, Mackenzie amassed 19 assists and a team-high 38 ground balls.
The 2016 GLIAC Freshman of the Year Irene Carlquist returns in goal, along with sophomores Clare DiFato and Lauren Granville and newcomer Michelle Kingsley.
Findlay Oilers
Head Coach: Lauren Simko - 1st Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 5th
OVERVIEW:
In 2017, the Oilers lacrosse team will be under the direction of new head coach Lauren Simko as they look to improve on last season, a year in which the team finished 12-8 and made its first ever GLIAC Championship.
One of the key returners for Findlay is senior Kyra Bradley who has been earned all-GLIAC honors in each of her first three seasons including GLIAC Attacker of the Year in her sophomore campaign. Last season, Bradley led the Oilers with 55 goals scored and recorded a team-high 70 points. Junior defender Natalie Fury, also a two-time all-GLIAC performer, will be key to the success of the Findlay defense.
"The girls are very excited to get back on the field and compete", said Simko. "They want to get back to the GLIAC Championship and earn a different outcome and we have been working extremely hard in the off season to put ourselves in the best position to accomplish that goal."
Lake Erie Storm
Head Coach: Mallory Ferrandiz - 3rd Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 6th
OVERVIEW:
The Lake Erie College women's lacrosse team is primed and ready for their 2017 campaign.
The Storm was 6-11 overall and 4-8 in the conference last season. The Storm has made back to back conference playoff appearances, and will look to make it three straight appearances in 2017. Lake Erie will be helped by the return of Taylor Mathis (Corning, N.Y. / Corning), and the continued growth of Anna Spin (Auburn, N.Y. / Auburn) and Harmony Moore (Farmington, N.Y. / Canadaigua Academy). The Storm was led by a strong defense last season as they gave up the second fewest goals and had the third best goals against average in the conference last season. The defense is anchored by Breana Moser (Gahanna, Ohio / Gahanna) as she was named first team All-GLIAC last season.
Storm Head Coach Mallory Ferrandiz said "We are looking forward to this season and to build upon the success of last year. We look to make a statement in our final year of the GLIAC". The Storm will open their 2017 season at home against Notre Dame College on March 5th.
Walsh Cavaliers
Head Coach: Christy Mitchell - 5th Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 7th
OVERVIEW:
Lane Brunkala led the team a year ago as a sophomore with 39 goals and six assists. The Cavs also had another pair of 20-goal scorers in Aly Jajack and Emma Armour who scored 29 and 22 goals, respectively.
Defensively Mikaela Faus returns between the pipes as the team's top goalkeeper. She made 136 saves on the year in 2016. She also led the team with 53 ground balls.
Northern Michigan Wildcats
Head Coach: Emilia Ward - Inaugural Season
2017 Preseason Pick: 8th
OVERVIEW:
The Northern Michigan lacrosse team is set for its inaugural season.
"We are very excited for this season and to see what this young team becomes as it goes along," said head coach Emilia Ward. "Our goal is to bring a exciting brand of lacrosse to the U.P."
A mix of true freshmen, transfers and former Wildcat club athletes, the team has begun to mesh during pre-season training. Ward expects Shelby Klotz, Graison Ringlever, Savannah Stich and Jordan Hanner to emerge as threats up front. Starting goalkeeper Brianna Bangle will bring her experience from playing at Brevard College and from helping the Northern Michigan club hockey team qualify for the 2016 ACHA national tournament to the fold.
