Women's Lacrosse Picked Eighth in NE10 Preseason Coaches’ Poll


Pleshaw is the Skyhawks top returning scorer after registering 37 points last season (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Skyhawks aim to bounce back after missing NE10 Tournament for first time

NE10 Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll Announcement

EASTON, Mass. (February 11, 2019) – The Stonehill College women's lacrosse team has been picked to finish eighth in the Northeast-10 Conference by the league's 14 head coaches, the Conference announced today.

Stonehill received 89 points from the NE10's head coaches, six points higher than ninth place Saint Anselm College. Reigning NE10 tournament and NCAA Division II Champions Le Moyne College is picked first in the poll, receiving 11 of the 14 first place votes and 167 points, while defending NE10 regular season champions Adelphi University is second with 159 points and the remaining three first place votes. Merrimack College is picked third with 133 points, edging the University of New Haven (131 points), while Pace University (126) rounds out the top five. Assumption College (103) has been selected sixth, followed by Bentley University (102) and then Stonehill.

Stonehill head coach Katie Conover, '03 is at the helm for the 12th season and returns eight starters from its 2018 squad which finished 8-9 overall, including 5-8 in the NE10 to miss the Conference tournament for the first time in program history. The Skyhawks finished sixth in the NE10 with a 12.76 team goals against average, while ranking tenth in scoring at 11.76 goals per game.

Junior MacKenzie Pleshaw is Stonehill's top returning scorer after finishing third on the team with 37 points, ranking second with 31 goals, to go with six assists as she converted 7-of-14 free-position shots, and collected 19 ground balls. Sophomore Shannon Hughes earned NE10 All-Rookie honors last season after posting 21 goals and seven assists for 28 points, with 21 ground balls, ten draw controls and 12 caused turnovers, while junior Olivia Pino chipped in 15 goals and an assist for 16 points.


Grant is a two-year starter in goal for the Skyhawks (PHOTO BY Mike Tureski/SportsPix)

Sophomore Emily Sharretts also earned NE10 All-Rookie honors last fall after starting 11 of 15 games and collecting 27 ground balls, 30 draw controls and 13 caused turnovers. The Skyhawks also welcome the return of juniors Kaity Healey and Jennifer Wheaton after missing significant time to injury as sophomores, following strong freshman seasons.

Junior Bailey Grant returns in the Stonehill goal after playing all but 32-minutes in net as a sophomore. She has started 29 of 31 games played over her career, including all 17 last season, and posted a 12.82 goals against average with 141 saves in 987:39.

Stonehill opens its 2019 season with six of its first eight games, including the first three, at W.B. Mason Stadium. The Skyhawks host Queens (N.Y.) College on Sunday, February 24, for a non-conference matchup at 3:30 p.m. Stonehill opens its NE10 schedule on Thursday, March 7, at Assumption College at 1 p.m.

For the fourth straight year, all home Stonehill women's lacrosse games will be streamed via SkyhawksVision, through the NE10's new NE10 NOW streaming platform, powered by Stretch Internet, at portal.stretchinternet.com/stonehill available online as well as through or through Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku apps.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.