Jan. 23, 2002
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team opens the 2002 season ranked in the preseason for the first time in the program’s five-year history. The Irish will start the 2002 campaign ranked 17th in the nation according to the AGATE Lacrosse Magazine’s Top 20 preseason poll.
The Irish finished the 2001 season ranked 18th in the country after recording a 10-5 record overall while going 4-2 in the BIG EAST Conference play.
Notre Dame returns 15 monogram winners from the 2001 squad and will face the most ambitious schedule in the program’s history as the Irish will face six teams ranked in the preseason top 20 poll. The six teams include preseason No. 2 selection Duke, fourth-ranked Georgetown, 10th-ranked Syracuse, 11th-ranked Cornell, 16th-ranked Yale and 19th-ranked Delaware.
“This year’s schedule is the most competitive one we’ve had since the program started,” says head coach Tracy Coyne.
The Irish will face Duke, Syracuse, Cornell, Yale and Delaware in home games at Moose Krause Stadium while facing Georgetown on the road.
“It will be exciting for fans of women’s lacrosse to see some of the best teams in the nation playing here in South Bend. It should be a great challenge for this Irish team to play against this high level of competition at home this year,” says Coyne.
The Irish open the 2002 regular season on Sunday, March 3 when they play host to the Ohio University Bobcats in a 1:00 p.m. game at Moose Krause Stadium.
The AGATE Lacrosse Magazine 2002 Preseason Poll
No. Team (First place votes) Points
1. Maryland (14) 445
2. Duke (5) 415
3. Princeton (3) 401
4. Georgetown 378
5. Loyola 352
6. North Carolina (1) 348
7. Virginia 325
8. James Madison 314
9. Dartmouth 308
10. Syracuse 234
11. Cornell 214
12. Penn State 176
13. William and Mary 172
14. Johns Hopkins 112
15. Hofstra 111
16. Yale 90
17. Notre Dame 82
18. Old Dominion 74
19. Delaware 70
20. Boston University 69