Hokie ClubGREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina is the preseason favorite in the 2020 ACC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll, released Tuesday by the conference office. The four-time reigning ACC champion Tar Heels totaled 62 points in balloting among the ACC's eight head coaches. Syracuse was second with 52 points and was followed by Notre Dame (45), Boston College (43), Virginia (35), Virginia Tech (22), Duke (20) and Louisville (9).
The Preseason All-ACC Team features 17 student-athletes, with four selections each from North Carolina and Syracuse, three from Notre Dame, two from Virginia and one each from Louisville and Virginia Tech. The Preseason All-ACC Team includes two of the ACC's major award winners from the 2019 season: North Carolina junior Emma Trenchard (ACC Defender of the Year) and Syracuse sophomore Sarah Cooper (ACC Freshman of the Year).
The Preseason All-ACC Team includes seven players who earned All-America honors from the IWLCA following the 2019 season. Fourteen of the 17 players on the Preseason All-ACC Team also are represented on Inside Lacrosse Face-Off Yearbook's 2020 Preseason All-America Team. In all, the ACC has 21 players on the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America Team, with nine of the 13 first-team honorees coming from ACC programs. The 21 Preseason All-Americans is by far the most of any conference.
Six ACC women's lacrosse teams are ranked in the Preseason Inside Lacrosse poll, highlighted by top-ranked North Carolina. Four others are in the top 10 – Syracuse (4), Boston College (5), Notre Dame (7) and Virginia (9) – and Duke is No. 20. Seven ACC teams are ranked in the IWLCA, led by No. 2 North Carolina. Syracuse (4), Boston College (5), Notre Dame (7), Virginia (8), Duke (21) and Virginia Tech (23) also are among the top 25. The ACC has the most teams in each poll among all conferences.
The 2020 women's lacrosse season gets underway this weekend with all eight teams in action. Duke and Syracuse will be the first teams to hit the field with Friday contests. Duke opens the season at 4 p.m. Friday with a home match against Gardner-Webb. Syracuse plays host to Canisius at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Carrier Dome.
After just two seasons,Paige Petty, the Bernardsville, New Jersey native has already placed herself amongst some of the best to ever play at Tech. Petty is the only Hokie to ever earn multiple first team All-ACC awards, multiple IWLCA All-Region selections and an All-American nod in 2018.
She begins the 2020 season ranking 10th in career points, sixth in goals, and seventh in draw controls in Virginia Tech history
She added All-ACC Academic Team to her list of accolades last season and has been recognized by the state's sports information directors as an All-State performer twice. Petty has also been featured on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List, an award given annually to the top player in the nation.
For the second consecutive year, she was recognized as an All-State player by the state's sports information directors.
Petty concluded the 2019 season with a 3.26 career goals per game average, which ranked 10th amongst active student-athletes.
During the 2019 season, Petty's single-season totals included:
- Most goals in a single season (66)
- She is sixth all-time in goals (124)
- She is tied for tenth in points all-time (139)
- Tied for first for the most points scored in a single season (74)
The preseason Coaches' Poll can be seen below. Tech is ranked 23rd in the IWLCA Coaches Poll and is receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Poll to begin the season
ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. North Carolina, 62
2. Syracuse, 52
3. Notre Dame, 45
4. Boston College, 43
5. Virginia, 35
6. Virginia Tech, 22
7. Duke, 20
8. Louisville, 9
The entire Preseason All-ACC Team can be seen below
Preseason All-ACC Team
A: Emily Hawryschuk, Syracuse
A: Katie Hoeg, North Carolina
A: Maddie Howe, Notre Dame
A: Jamie Ortega, North Carolina
M: Andie Aldave, Notre Dame
M: Sammy Mueller, Virginia
M: Paige Petty, Virginia Tech
D: Sarah Cooper, Syracuse
D: Kerry Defliese, Syracuse
D: Emma Trenchard, North Carolina
G: Taylor Moreno, North Carolina
At-Large: Caroline Blalock, Louisville
At-Large: Nora Bowen, Virginia
At-Large: Savannah Buchanan, Notre Dame
At-Large: Megan Carney, Syracuse
At-Large: Charlotte North, Boston College
At-Large: Sheila Rietano, Boston College
Virginia Tech will begin their 2020 slate at home at the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility on Saturday, February 8 against Davidson. That game is set for 2 p.m. and can be found on ACC Network Extra.