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2018 Northeast Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll             1. Bryant (7)             2. Wagner             3. Robert Morris             4. Mount St. Mary's             5. Sacred Heart             6. Central Connecticut             7. Saint Francis U             8. LIU Brooklyn             First place votes in parentheses

 
Somerset, NJ -- Northeast Conference (NEC) women’s lacrosse coaches declared Bryant as the unanimous favorite to repeat as league champion. The Bulldogs have won three of the last four NEC Tournaments, and have claimed at least a share of the regular season title each of the last four seasons. 
 
Perennial contender Wagner was tabbed second in the conference, while Robert Morris and Mount St. Mary’s occupy the third and fourth spots, respectively.  Sacred Heart was picked fifth, Central Connecticut followed in sixth, Saint Francis U in seventh, and LIU Brooklyn in eighth to round out the poll. 
 
After Wagner dethroned Bryant in 2016, the Bulldogs restored their place at the top of the NEC pecking order with an unblemished record against conference opponents last season. Bryant outscored NEC rivals by better than eight goals per game before cruising through the conference tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time. The Bulldogs have posted a 26-2 mark in NEC play over the last four years.
 
Led by Jill Batcheller, who has won a league record four straight NEC Coach of the Year honors, the Bulldogs return the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year in junior midfielder Jess DeMeo (Mount Sinai, NY/Mount Sinai). DeMeo led the conference with 3.22 goals per game, a figure that ranked her 17^th nationally. She also ranked second on the conference circuit with 3.83 points per outing.
 
Bryant will bring back three of its four All-NEC first teamers, including two-time honoree Samantha Santeramo (Wantagh, NY/Gen Douglas MacArthur), a senior goalkeeper. Santeramo has been a staple in net for the Bulldogs since she arrived in Smithfield, and her 8.91 goals against average and .508 save percentage in 2017 both led the NEC by a wide margin. Sophomore attacker Caitlin Breglia (Long Beach, NY/Long Beach) impressed as a freshman, finishing second on the Bulldogs with 40 goals and eighth in the NEC with 2.22 goals per game.
 
Wagner, which has posted a 21-7 record in NEC competition the last four seasons, returns three All-NEC selections for head coach Katie Rowan, highlighted by senior attacker Heidi Colford (Eden Prairie, MN/Eden Prairie), a first team all-star. Colford did it all offensively for the Seahawks a year ago, contributing 35 goals and 35 assists. She led the NEC with 1.84 assists per game and ranked third in scoring with 3.58 goals per game. 
 
The Seahawks will also feature their pair of NEC second teamers in juniors Anna Belle Reilly (Paradise Valley, AZ/Notre Dame Prep) and Lauren Ednie (Verona, NJ/Verona). Reilly tied for the team-lead with 42 goals and Ednie provided scoring punch from the midfield with 37 tallies. 
 
Robert Morris looks to improve upon a solid 2017 campaign that saw the Colonials go 5-2 in conference play and earn a fourth straight trip to the NEC Tournament. The big change in Moon Township was the elevation of Katrina Silva to head coach after spending five years as an assistant. Her team will feature returning All-NEC first teamer and two-time all-star Dana Davis (Garnet Valley, PA/Garnet Valley) to head the Colonial midfield after totaling 34 goals and six assists last season. Mackenzie Gandy (Baltimore, MD/Medina) was one of the league’s top freshman last year, scoring 56 points on 29 goals and 27 assists on her way to All-Rookie honors.
 
Central Connecticut sophomore Megan Szawlowski (Leeds, MA/Williston Northampton) is another notable returnee from the 2017 All-NEC first team. She will look to improve upon her 30 goals and 27 assists from last season and help the Blue Devils to their first conference tournament appearance since 2014. 
 
The 2018 regular season begins on Saturday, February 10 and conference action starts up on Friday, April 6. The 2018 NEC Women’s Lacrosse Championship will be held on May 3 & 5, hosted by the top seed.
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.