GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Thiel College women's lacrosse team was picked to finish third in the Ohio River Lacrosse Conference (ORLC), according to the 2016 ORLC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was released Thursday.
The Tomcats finished third in the poll with 57 points. Saint Vincent was picked as the favorite to win the conference with 78 points and seven first-place votes. Washington & Jefferson was picked to finish second with 66 points and one first-place vote. Transylvania was picked fourth (55 points) while Mount St. Joseph finished fifth in voting (52 points) and received one first-place vote.
Four Tomcats were named to the ORLC Players to Watch list, including senior defender
Megan Williams (Lusby, Md./Patuxent), junior attacker
Jennifer Rickens (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley), sophomore goalkeeper
Kyra Farrell (Pittsburgh, Pa./Oakland Catholic) and freshman midfielder
Paige Scherer (Cranberry, Pa./Seneca Valley).
Williams' 12 caused turnovers tied for the fifth most on the team last season while her 22 ground balls were the eighth most on the team. An All-ORLC Honorable Mention selection in 2015, Rickens scored 22 goals last season, the fourth most on the team, while totaling 27 points.
Farrell saw some time in goal as a freshman last season. A freshman midfielder, Scherer is a native of Cranberry, Pa., and a graduate of Seneca Valley High School.
Thiel went 11-7 overall in 2015 and 8-1 in the ORLC. The second-seeded Tomcats defeated the Washington & Jefferson Presidents 14-7 in the ORLC semifinals last year before falling to the Saint Vincent Bearcats 14-10 in the conference title tilt.
The Tomcats will host their annual preseason tournament Sunday at the Rissell-Schreyer Dome. The 10-team tournament will begin at 9 a.m. when the Tomcats take on the John Carroll Blue Streaks. The last game of the tournament, between Indiana University (Pa.) and the University of Mount Union, is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Admission to the tournament is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens, students with ID and children over 10 years old. Children under 10 years old will be admitted free of charge.
The Tomcats will open regular season play Friday, March 4 when they host the Augustana Vikings at the Rissell-Schreyer Dome. The game is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.
The 2016 ORLC Women's Lacrosse Championship Tournament will feature a four-team field with the top seed hosting all three tournament matches. On Friday, April 29, the number one seed will take on the number four seed, followed by the match between the number two and three seeds. The tournament's title game will be played Saturday, April 30.
