NEW LONDON, N.H. – February 18, 2020 – The Colby-Sawyer College women's lacrosse team was picked fifth in the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Preseason Poll.

Three-time defending champion Johnson & Wales was selected as the preseason favorite with 140 points, including eight of the 12 first-place votes, while Regis was selected second with 132 points and four first-place votes. Lasell finished third in voting with 120 points, followed by Simmons in fourth with 97 points. Colby-Sawyer was close behind in fifth with 96 points. Full GNAC release > HERE

The Chargers went 10-7 overall and finished 7-4 in their first year with the GNAC. Colby-Sawyer earned the fourth seed in the GNAC Tournament, but fell in overtime to fifth seed Simmons, 10-9, in the quarterfinals.

The 2020 squad will be led by head coach Emily Dewdney. She welcomes back All-GNAC First Team selection junior Mattie Iaria (Hingham, Mass.) who was voted as one of the top four defenders in the league. Senior goalie Kailyn Lapham (Medway, Mass.) earned a nod to the All-GNAC Second Team a season ago after posting the second best save percentage and fourth best goals against average in the league in 2019. Junior Sarah Morin (Pelham, N.H.) also landed on the All-GNAC Second Team last season. She was third on the team with 56 points, second with 47 goals and fourth with nine assists. Morin also recorded the second most game-winning goals with three. She was second on the team with 43 ground balls, third with 31 draw controls and tied for fifth with 20 caused turnovers. Junior Madison Johansson (Stratham, N.H.) earned All-GNAC Third Team accolades last year and bolsters the Colby-Sawyer defense. She was tied for third on the team with 42 ground balls and added 17 caused turnovers in 2019. 

The Chargers will begin the season with four consecutive road games, including the GNAC opener at Lasell on March 7. Colby-Sawyer will then play four-straight at the Sally Shaw Veitch Turf Field with two GNAC games and a pair of non-conference tilts. The regular season will conclude with eight consecutive conference contests, culminating at home on April 22 against Saint Joseph's (Maine). The postseason is slated to begin on Saturday, April 25.

2020 GNAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll
 

Place	Team	Points	1st Place
1.	Johnson & Wales	140	8
2.	Regis	132	4
3.	Lasell	120
4.	Simmons	97
5.	Colby-Sawyer	96
6.	Saint Joseph's (Maine)	90
7.	Norwich	71
8.	Emmanuel	69
9.	Albertus Magnus	48
10.	Rivier	36
11.	Saint Joseph (Conn.)	22
12.	Anna Maria	15

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