Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/2/20
From Press Release
Loyola University was picked first in the Patriot League’s preseason poll for a seventh-consecutive season, as Greyhounds sophomore defender Katie Detwiler (Archbishop Carroll) earned a spot on the Preseason All-League team.
Voting for the preseason poll and award winners, which were released by the conference office on Tuesday morning, was conducted by the 10 head coaches and school officials. The Greyhounds received 160 points and 16 out of 20 first-place votes.
Loyola is coming off its fourth Patriot League championship in six years, topping Navy by a 21-9 final in the title game last spring. The Greyhounds also went 9-0 against Patriot League opponents in the regular season, extending the nation’s longest active win streak against conference teams to 52 dating back to Loyola’s arrival in the Patriot League prior to the 2014 season.
Detwiler, who earned second team All-Patriot League status in her debut season, was the lone defender to be named Preseason All-League. She totaled 24 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers as a key contributor to a defense which ranked 12th nationally in goals allowed (9.10), 14th in clearing percentage (.891) and 15th in save percentage (.484). Detwiler posted strong performances against several of the nation’s top scorers, adding Patriot League Defender of the Week accolades after Loyola’s 16-6 regular season win over Navy in April.
Lehigh senior Sondra Dickey (Conestoga) was named preseason All-League while the Mountain Hawks took the fifth spot in the poll.
Dickey received individual recognition after an impressive first three seasons of her career. Last year, she led the Mountain Hawks in goals (53), points (67), groundballs (tied) (34), caused turnovers (28) and draw controls (78). The draw control total was good for third in program history. Dickey has been named first team All-Patriot League, second team All-Region and the program’s Athlete of the Year in each of the last two seasons. She won Patriot League Midfielder of the Week three times as a junior and four times as a sophomore. Last season, Dickey tallied multiple points in all 17 games and multiple goals in 16-of-17 contests. As a sophomore, Dickey had 54 goals and 22 assists for 76 points. She enters her senior campaign with 95 groundballs, 169 draw controls and 63 caused turnovers.
Boston University’s Emily Vervlied (Wissahickon) also was named to the squad. Additionally, the Terriers were predicted to finish third, its highest preseason ranking since the 2016 campaign. Vervlied earns her first preseason honor after posting a breakout sophomore season and was named to the All-Patriot League squad. Vervlied tripled her goal total from her freshman year (30) and led the team with 28 caused turnovers. She also tied for second on the team in points (39) and ranked third in ground balls (33). In conference games, she amassed 20 goals, 27 points, 22 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers.
2020 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll
- Loyola Maryland (16 first-place votes), 160
- Navy (4), 148
- Boston University, 122
- Army West Point, 104
- Lehigh 91
- Colgate, 85
- Holy Cross, 56
- American, 46
T9. Bucknell, 36
T9. Lafayette, 36
2020 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Major Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Kelly Larkin, Navy, Sr., Attack
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Annalise Heyward, Navy, Sr., Midfielder
2020 Patriot League Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-League Team
Emma Vinall, American, Jr., Attack
Jackie Brattan, Army West Point, Jr., Attack
Caroline Raymond, Army West Point, So., Attack
Samantha Stewart, Army West Point, Sr., Midfielder
Maddie Burns, Army West Point, Sr. Goalkeeper
Kailey Conry, Boston University, Sr., Attack
Emily Vervlied (Wissahickon), Boston University, Jr., Midfielder
Danielle Van Calcar, Colgate, Jr., Midfielder
Sondra Dickey (Conestoga), Lehigh, Sr., Midfielder
Livy Rosenzweig, Loyola Maryland, Jr., Attack
Sam Fielder, Loyola Maryland, Jr., Midfielder
Elli Kluegel, Loyola Maryland, Jr., Midfielder
Katie Detwiler (Archbishop Carroll), Loyola Maryland, So., Defender
Kelly Larkin, Navy, Sr., Attack
Kayla Harris, Navy, Sr., Midfielder
Annalise Heyward, Navy, Sr., Midfielder