FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- The Christopher Newport women's lacrosse team was slotted fourth in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, which was announced on Tuesday morning by the league office.

Competing in one of the most talented conferences in the country, the Captains earned eight points in the preseason poll to finish in the No. 4 position. Slotting ahead of Christopher Newport, Salisbury was named the league favorites after earning four first-place votes. The Sea Gulls are currently ranked seventh in the IWLCA National Coaches Poll. Meanwhile, 14th-ranked Mary Washington finished second in the conference poll, and St. Mary's (Md.) earned a first-place vote while placing third.

The Captains are coming off of an abbreviated 2020 campaign that saw the team compile a 3-4 record, including a pair of battles against nationally-ranked competition. Despite the limited action, the team was able to showcase a promising future, and the 2021 roster features a large collection of familiar faces from last year's squad.

Of the veterans returning in 2021, 13 have starting experience. Of those, Gracie Sanders has a team-high 35 starts on her ledger, while fellow seniors Sam Wettengel and Cat Leighty have also started at least 30 games apiece. Entering her final campaign, Wettengel currently ranks 10th all-time with 54 career takeaways, while Leighty's 0.98 assists-per-game rate is also the 10th best in program history. Sanders and Wettengel will also form the backbone of the team's leadership core while serving as team captains alongside junior Riley Rafterry-Lee.

Along with the most experienced Captains, Zoe Dyer, Kendall Krause, and Kelsey Winters are all reigning All-State honorees. Winters was also one of five freshmen who earned starting nods last year, including goalie Becca Creekmore and midfielder Hope Hunter. Creekmore led the conference with 27 ground balls in 2020, while Hunter ranked third on the team with nine goals.

Christopher Newport will kick off the new season on Tuesday afternoon when the Captains travel to N.C. Wesleyan for a 3 p.m. non-conference battle.

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