Feb. 3, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Commodores received a No. 12 national ranking when the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association released its preseason poll Tuesday. The ‘Dores feature five returning starters from last season’s NCAA Tournament team and American Lacrosse Conference runner-up squad.
“We are excited to have our peers recognize us nationally,” Cathy Swezey, VU head coach, said. “We know that we play in one of the toughest conferences in the country.”
Vanderbilt finished the 2008 campaign with a 13-6 overall record, setting a new school record in victories, and a 3-1 mark in ALC regular season contests. Swezey’s team also returns senior, midfielder Cara Giordano, an IWLCA Regional First-Team All-American last season, among its returning starters.
The ALC boasts three programs recognized among the top-15, including Northwestern. The Wildcats, the four-time reigning national champions, begin the 2009 season on top of the IWLCA weekly polls, as announced by the organization today (Feb. 2).
The Wildcats garnered 19 of 20 first-place votes to rank first, followed by the Syracuse Orange, the `Cats semifinal opponent in the 2008 NCAA Championships. The Orange earned the other first-place vote and begin the 2009 season with their highest ranking in school history. The Duke Blue Devils, who also advanced to the NCAA semifinals in 2008, begin the 2009 season ranked third.
Two conferences each have four schools in the top-20, including the ACC and the Ivy League. All four schools in the ACC rank in the top-10, with Duke leading the way at No. 3. Virginia follows at No. 4, while Maryland (No. 6) and North Carolina (No. 9) round out the conference’s representatives.
The Penn Quakers, the 2008 national runners-up, rank fifth to open the 2009 season, while former champion Princeton ranks seventh. Dartmouth (No. 13) and Cornell (No. 16-tied) also sit in the top-20.
The American Lacrosse Conference and the Big East both claim three schools in the preseason poll. After top-ranked Northwestern, the ALC also boasts No. 12 Vanderbilt and No. 15 Johns Hopkins. No. 2 Syracuse leads the way in the Big East, which is also represented by No. 8 Georgetown and No. 11 Notre Dame.
Three other conferences have two schools each in the poll. The America East has the final school in the top-10 as Boston University comes in at No. 10, while conference rival New Hampshire sits at No. 14.
The CAA claims No. 16 (tied) James Madison and No. 19 (tied) Towson, and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation’s Stanford (No. 18) and Denver (No. 19, tied) round out the poll.
The IWLCA weekly polls will be released on Tuesday mornings throughout the season starting Feb. 24
IWLCA Division I Weekly Poll
1. Northwestern 21-1* 399 (19)
2. Syracuse 18-3 365 (1)
3. Duke 13-8 362
4. Virginia 14-4 313
5. Penn 17-2 302
6. Maryland 18-3 285
7. Princeton 13-5 280
8. Georgetown 12-7 236
9. North Carolina 13-7 230
10. Boston University 18-3 214
11. Notre Dame 12-7 195
12. Vanderbilt 13-6 146
13. Dartmouth 7-9 135
14. New Hampshire 13-6 89
15. Johns Hopkins 7-9 86
16t. James Madison 8-9 75
16t. Cornell 10-6 75
18. Stanford 12-8 63
19t. Denver 13-6 62
19t. Towson 13-6 62
Also receiving votes: Boston College, George Mason, Loyola, Ohio State, Penn State, Richmond, William & Mary, Yale
* 2008 Record
