Fairfield Voted Team to Beat During 2009 Women's Lacrosse Season
MAAC Sports
Edison, NJ ? The Fairfield University Stags have been chosen as the preseason favorites to claim the 2009 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Title, as determined by a vote of the conference’s seven head coaches.
Fairfield, the MAAC Regular Season Champions in 2008, received 47 points in the poll. The Stags will be led by Preseason Player of the Year Kristen Coleman. Coleman, a sophomore midfielder, was named the MAAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year and the MAAC Rookie of the Year in her freshman season. She was also selected to the All-MAAC First Team and the All-Tournament team at the MAAC Championships. Fairfield enters the 2009 season with a new head coach in Mike Waldvogel, an assistant on last year’s squad. A member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, Waldvogel is the all-time winningest coach in Yale University history.
Marist College was second in the poll with 40 points, followed closely by Canisius College with 37. Iona received 26 points, followed by Manhattan (23), Siena (15), and Niagara (8).
The Preseason All-MAAC team consists of Canisius’ Chelsea Martinez and Fairfield’s Erin Rigby at attack. Joining Coleman in the midfield is teammate Rebecca White, Canisius’ Ashley Gray, Manhattan’s Tara Convery and Keri Morrison, and Marist’s Stephanie Garland and Carolyn Sumcizk. Canisius’ Alison Rusak, Fairfield’s Kelly Barnes, Iona’s Charlotte Tietjen, and Marist’s Ashley Dattellas make up the defense. Fairfield’s Lauren Chatnik was selected as the goalkeeper.