Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/30/19
From Press Release
James Madison University was selected as the favorite to win its third straight Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) women’s lacrosse championship while Towson junior Olivia Conti was chosen as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.
Senior defender Chantae Simms and junior midfielder Mia DeRuggiero are set to lead the Delaware Blue Hens. Simms returns as the Hens’ top defender from last season, causing 31 turnovers and picking up 50 ground balls. DeRuggiero tallied 36 assists and totaled 40 points on the season.
Drexel returns its leading scorer from 2018 in sophomore midfielder Colleen Grady. The 2018 CAA Rookie of the Year, Grady shined in her freshman campaign, scoring 32 goals and adding 24 assists. She also won 14 draw controls.
The women’s lacrosse season commences on Friday, Feb. 8 as Delaware faces Temple at 3 p.m. ET. On Saturday, James Madison heads to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina while Towson faces off against Penn State in University Park, Pa. Elon and Hofstra are also on the road, as the Phoenix matchup at Campbell and the Pride visit the City of Angels to meet the University of Southern California. Drexel begins its season at home on Sunday, Feb. 10 against Johns Hopkins.
The 2019 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship is scheduled for the first weekend in May with the semifinals to be played on Friday, May 3 and the final to be contested on Sunday, May 5. The championship will be hosted by James Madison at Sentara Park and the action from all three games will be streamed live on Lax Sports Network.
2019 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Predicted Order of Finish
- James Madison 36 (6)
- Towson 31 (1)
- Elon 23
- Hofstra 18
- Delaware 17
- Drexel 15
- William & Mary 7
2019 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Team
Name School Year Position Hometown
Colleen Grady Drexel So. A Glen Ridge, N.J.
Hanna Haven James Madison Sr. A Syracuse, N.Y.
Natalie Sulmonte Towson Sr. A Levittown, N.Y.
Carly Tellekamp Towson Sr. A Hauppauge, N.Y.
Mia DeRuggiero Delaware Jr. M Baltimore, Md.
Charlotte Haggerty James Madison So. M Bel Air, Md.
Alexa Mattera Hofstra Jr. M East Islip, N.Y.
Alyssa Parrella Hofstra Jr. M Miller Place, N.Y.
Sami Chenoweth Towson Jr. D Manchester, Md.
Olivia Conti Towson Jr. D Wantagh, N.Y.
Emma Johnson James Madison Jr. D Laurel, Md.
Caroline Sdanowich James Madison Sr. D Bel Air, Md.
Chantae Simms Delaware Sr. D Edgewood, Md.
Molly Dougherty James Madison R-So. GK Alexandria, Va.
Honorable Mention: Kaitlin Thornton, Towson (So., A), Maddie McDaniel, James Madison (Jr., M), Quinn Daly, Elon (So., M), Karson Harris, Drexel (So., M)
CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Olivia Conti, Towson
