#8 Stonehill Picked Fourth in NE-10 Preseason Poll

Skyhawks coming off 15th NE-10 semifinal appearance and seventh NCAA bid

NE-10 Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll

EASTON, Mass. (February 12, 2014) – Stonehill College has been picked to finish fourth according to the Northeast-10 Conference women's lacrosse preseason coaches' poll released by the league office this week.

Stonehill, ranked eighth in both the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and Lacrosse Magazine preseason polls, which reached the semifinal round of the NE-10 Tournament in 2013 after finishing third in the regular season standings received 114 points in the preseason poll. Defending NE-10 regular season co-champions Adelphi University has been picked first by the Conference's 13 head coaches, having earned seven of the 13 first place votes and 137 points. Le Moyne College, who captured a share of the NE-10 regular season title before winning the tournament crown, is ranked second with four first place votes and 134 points, while the University of New Haven is picked third with 115 points and one first place vote. Saint Anselm College received the remaining first place vote and ranks fifth behind Stonehill with 97 points.

Stonehill, under the direction of head coach Katie (Lambert) Conover, '03, in her seventh season, returns 17 letter winners, including ten starters, from last year's team which posted a 13-7 record overall, including a 10-2 mark in the Northeast-10, and made a return to the NCAA Tournament after finishing third in the NE-10 standings. The Skyhawks were defeated by eventual national champions LIU Post, 15-9, in the national quarterfinals after being edged by Adelphi in the NE-10 semifinals, 11-7.

Seniors Lauren Bonagura (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) and Katherine McDonough (Westwood, Mass./Westwood) have been named captains for the 2014 season. McDonough earned second team All-Northeast-10 honors last season, while sophomore Remi DiRe (Winchester, Mass./Winchester) earned a spot on the NE-10 All-Rookie Team. Senior Kelsey Shannahan (Mendham, N.J./Morris Catholic) is the Skyhawks top returning scorer after posting 43 goals and 15 assists for 58 points, while classmate Mary Lee Mahony (Yardley, Pa./Villa Joseph Marie) finished second on the team for assists with 23 to go with ten goals for 33 points. Junior Ashley Armstrong (Northborough, Mass./Algonquin Regional), who earned NE-10 All-Championship team honors last spring, started all 20 games in the Skyhawks goal and posted a 10.68 goals against average while averaging 6.6 saves per game in 1,135:05 played.

Stonehill opens its 2014 season at 4th-ranked Rollins College, in Winter Park, Fla., on Tuesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. The Skyhawks open their home schedule on Wednesday, March 19, against Assumption College for their Northeast-10 opener at 7 p.m.

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