Women's Lacrosse

SJC Picked First in the GNAC Preseason Poll

SJC Picked First in the GNAC Preseason Poll
Posted: Feb 22, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

WINTHROP, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College of Maine received 12 of a possible 14 first-place to take the top position in the 2023 GNAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league's head coaches.

Last spring, SJC captured its second-ever GNAC Championship – its first since the 2014 campaign – following a four-year title run by Johnson & Wales University (RI).

Headlined by second-year grad student Lydia Dexter (Oakland, Maine), the Monks return nearly their entire starting lineup from a 2022 team that posted a perfect 20-0 regular season record. Dexter, the 2022 GNAC Player of the Year and IWLCA Second Team All-Region honoree, returns after scoring 80 goals with 75 assists for 155 total points along with 78 ground balls, 46 draw controls, and 22 caused turnovers in 21 games.

All-Conference selections Carson Battaglia (Gorham, Maine) – the 2022 GNAC Midfielder of the Year, Tara Powers (Tyngsboro, Mass.), Madison Scott (Cumberland, Maine), and Bridget Collins (Milford, Conn.) also return and provide the Monks with plenty of skill and stability through the middle of the field.

JWU finished third in the poll with one first-place vote and 174 points, narrowly behind poll runner-up Simmons University, which also received one first-place nod with 176 points overall. 

Making up the rest of the top-10, in order, included Emmanuel College (149 points), Norwich University (135), Colby-Sawyer College (133), Lasell University (107), University of Saint Joseph CT (91), Elms College (88), and Rivier University (60). For the complete results, please see below. 

2023 GNAC WLAX Preseason Poll
1. Saint Joseph's Maine (12) - 193
2. Simmons (1) - 176
3. JWU (1) - 174
4. Emmanuel - 149
5. Norwich - 135
6. Colby-Sawyer - 133
7. Lasell - 107
8. USJ (CT) - 91
9. Elms - 88
10. Rivier - 60
11. Regis - 58
12. Dean - 52
13. Anna Maria - 36
14. Albertus Magnus - 18

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –

 

THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THE GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE

 

#GOMONKS

 

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Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college in the Mercy tradition. We are inclusive of all faiths, including no faith. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. A pioneer of distance education since the 1970s, the College also provides online certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees for thousands more working adults who reside in more than 20 other countries. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions within local, regional, and global communities. In 2018, Princeton Review recognized SJC as one of its “Green Colleges” for its sustainability initiatives. Learn more at www.sjcme.edu.

 

 

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