SPARKS, Md. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse program will kick off the 2022 campaign ranked in the top-20 of the USA Lacrosse Magazine National Rankings after the Captains were slotted 20th in the publication's preseason poll, which was released on Thursday afternoon.
 
Christopher Newport earned the ranking after wrapping up the 2021 campaign with an 11-7 record, including four victories against top-20 competition. At the end of last season, the Captains sat just outside of the top-20 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine rankings while garnering the 22nd spot in the final poll released by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association.
 
Joining exclusive company with their top-20 position, the 2022 Captains are only the second team in program history to enter a season listed in a national poll. Previously, only the 2014 squad earned a preseason ranking after that team was slotted 16th in the IWLCA Poll.
 
As usual, the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference was well-represented in the preseason rankings. In addition to the Captains, Salisbury earned the No. 1 position, while Mary Washington fell just outside of the top-20.
 
Along with the league foes, Christopher Newport has several other nationally-ranked showdowns on the 2022 schedule. The Captains are slated to meet No. 8 Washington & Lee on March 19 and No. 9 Messiah on April 2. Meanwhile, the squad also has battles lined up against Roanoke and St. Mary's (Md.), who joined Mary Washington just outside of the top-20 in the "Also Considered" category.
 
Following Salisbury at the top of the rankings, Tufts, Franklin & Marshall, Middlebury, and St. John Fisher rounded out the top-five.
 
Christopher Newport welcomes back a decorated contingent of veteran standouts from 2021, including reigning All-American Kelsey Winters. Meanwhile, Kendall Krause was also an All-Region performer last year, while Emma Jackson and Joely Stevens are back after joining Krause and Winters on the All-Conference squad.
 
Overall, Christopher Newport returns eight players who started at least 14 games last season, while 16 veterans cracked the starting lineup at least once during the 2021 campaign.
 
The Captains will open up the 2022 season on February 18 when the team travels to Virginia Wesleyan for a 5 p.m. tilt.

2022 Nike / USA Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll
1. Salisbury
2. Tufts
3. Franklin & Marshall
4. Middlebury
5. St. John Fisher
6. William Smith
7. Ithaca
8. Washington and Lee
9. Messiah
10. Gettysburg
11. TCNJ
12. Denison
13. Catholic
14. SUNY Cortland
15. SUNY Brockport
16. York
17. Wesleyan
18. Colby
19. Montclair State
20. Christopher Newport

Also considered (alphabetical order): Amherst, Bowdoin, Mary Washington, Roanoke, St. Mary's, SUNY Geneseo

---ISH---