Widener's women's lacrosse team was picked to finish seventh in the Middle Atlantic Conference based on a vote by the league's coaches.
The Pride (8-9, 4-7 MAC) have a lot to look forward to, returning eight starters on a team which just missed the conference tournament on the final week of last season.
One of those starters is senior attacker/midfielder Jackie Elliott (Upper Darby, PA), who has been named second team All-MAC each of the last two years. She took the conference by storm last season, ending second with a school-record 71 goals, tied for third with 85 points and tied for fifth with three game-winning goals.
Elliott finished eighth in the country with 4.73 goals per game, 24th in goals and 36 in points. Her 125 career goals are sixth in school history and her 157 points are seventh.
Also looking to provide scoring punch is junior attacker Mellany Broomall (Clarksboro, NJ), who ended second on the squad last season with 31 goals and second with 42 points. Attacker/midfielder Jen Harnden (Hershey, PA) was fourth on the team with 40 points and fellow junior Linda Salcedo (Media, PA) went 5-3 in net.
Elizabethtown, which lost in last year's conference final, was picked to win the league with defending champion Messiah tabbed second. FDU-Florham, which played in the ECAC South Tournament final last year, was selected third.
Widener opens its season Saturday at home against Immaculata, beginning at 3:00 pm at Leslie C. Quick Jr. Stadium.
2010 Middle Atlantic Conference Preseason Poll
1. Elizabethtown 152 pts. (7)
2. Messiah 151 pts. (6)
3. FDU-Florham 130 pts.
4. Eastern 122 pts.
5. Lycoming 119 pts.
6. Manhattanville 92 pts.
7. Widener 89 pts.
8. Misericordia 76 pts.
9. Wilkes 69 pts.
10. Alvernia 62 pts.
11. Arcadia 46 pts.
12. Lebanon Valley 38 pts.
13. King's 37 pts.
(first-place votes in parentheses)
