Stonehill Picked Fifth in Lacrosse Magazine Division II Preseason Poll
Skyhawks look to claim 12th-straight NE-10 regular season title in 2010
EASTON, Mass. (January 29, 2010) - 11-time Northeast-10 Conference regular season champions Stonehill College are ranked fifth in Lacrosse Magazine's 2010 preseason poll, released recently.
Stonehill, winners of 11-straight NE-10 regular season titles and nine Conference tournament championships, are coming off a 10-6 season in 2009, including a 9-1 clip in NE-10 play. Third-year head coach Katie Lambert-Conover returns 12 letterwinners from last year's squad, including senior All-American Jaclyn Craig (Rocky Point, N.Y./Rocky Point), one of just three players in program history to earn first team All-America honors in each of her first three seasons, who has been an anchor on the Skyhawks defense. The 2009 NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year spearheaded a defense which led the NE-10 in goals allowed per game this season, and was fifth in the nation (8.50 per game).
Craig, along with senior Jessie Ragnio (Andover, Mass./Andover) have been selected as captains for the upcoming season.
Defending NCAA Division II Champions Adelphi University, who will be playing its first season in the NE-10 this spring, is the preseason No. 1 by Lacrosse Magazine, followed by Dowling College, Lock Haven University and Mercyhurst College with Stonehill rounding out the top five. Merrimack College is the only other NE-10 member listed in the top ten at No. 8.
Stonehill, two-time NCAA Division II National Champions, are scheduled to open their season with a pair of games during spring break, beginning Wednesday, March 10, at Rollins College at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks first home game is Saturday, March 20, when they welcome Adelphi to W.B. Mason Stadium for their inaugural NE-10 contest at noon.