Canisius Picked First in MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll; Griffs’ Jourdan Roemer Earns Preseason Player of the Year
EDISON, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today that Canisius College was selected as the 2018 Women’s Lacrosse Preseason favorite based on a vote by the leagues’ nine head coaches. The Griffs received eight first-place votes and 80 points overall. Canisius junior attacker Jourdan Roemer was selected as the 2018 MAAC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Player of the Year.
The Griffs (15-5, 8-0 MAAC) won their third consecutive and sixth MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship in program history last season. Canisius defeated Fairfield University, 13-10, to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The Griffs went undefeated (8-0) in conference play during the regular season, en route to its third-straight regular season championship.
Last season, Canisius led the MAAC in goals scored (304), goals per game (15.20), points (442), points per game (22.10), assists per game (6.90), scoring margin (+5.25), shot percentage (51.7%), and win percentage (.750). The Griffs ranked first in the nation in shot percentage, 10
th in scoring margin, 17
th in assists per game, and 14
th in winning percentage.
Canisius’ junior attacker Jourdan Roemer earned the 2018 Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Player of the Year honor after a 2017 season that earned her a selection to the All-MAAC Second Team. Last season, Roemer was fifth in the MAAC in points (68), points per game (3.40), sixth in assists per game (1.45), and tied for ninth in goals (39).
Fairfield (12-6, 7-1 MAAC) placed second in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, with a total of 70 points. The Stags were the 2017 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship runner-up after a second-place finish in the regular season. Fairfield led the MAAC in ground balls per game (20.67), shots per game (29.94), caused turnovers per game (10.89), and fewest goals allowed per game (8.96).
Marist College received 59 votes in the Preseason Poll and came in third. The Red Foxes have won a pair of MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championships, the last coming in 2010. Marist was defeated by Fairfield in the semifinals of the 2017 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship.
Niagara University (53) was selected fourth in the poll, followed by Monmouth University (45) in fifth, and Quinnipiac University (29) in sixth. Iona College (26), Siena College (22) received one first-place vote, and Manhattan College (17) round out the Preseason Coaches’ Poll in the final three slots.
The 2018 Preseason All-MAAC Team is composed of four attacks, three midfielders, four defenders, and one goalkeeper. Canisius had a league-high three student-athletes selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team.
Canisius’ Jourdan Roemer, Fairfield’s Brenna Connolly, Monmouth’s Nicole Ceraso, and Niagara’s Rachel MacCheyne (unanimous selection) were all selected to the Preseason All-MAAC Team at attack. Canisius’ Jen Reininger, Marist’s Hailey Wagner, and Monmouth’s Caroline Corbliss make up the team’s midfielders. Fairfield’s Erin Mammele, Iona’s Gabriella Di Domizio, Niagara’s Alexandra Higgins (unanimous selection), and Quinnipiac’s Kiera Kelly join the team at defense. Canisius’ Rebecca VanLaeken was selected at goalkeeper.
The 2018 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship is a six-team championship played over two consecutive weekends. The first round games are hosted by the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds on Saturday, April 28. The semifinal and championship game are hosted by the No. 1 seed on Thursday, May 3 and Saturday, May 5. For more information, visit
maacsports.com/wlax.
| Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| 1. |
Canisius (8) |
80 |
| 2. |
Fairfield |
70 |
| 3. |
Marist |
59 |
| 4. |
Niagara |
53 |
| 5. |
Monmouth |
45 |
| 6. |
Quinnipiac |
34 |
| 7. |
Iona |
25 |
| 8. |
Siena (1) |
22 |
| 9. |
Manhattan |
17 |
| Preseason All-MAAC Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Jourdan Roemer |
Attack |
Canisius |
| Brenna Connolly |
Attack |
Fairfield |
| Nicole Ceraso |
Attack |
Monmouth |
| Rachel MacCheyne* |
Attack |
Niagara |
| Jen Reininger |
Midfield |
Canisius |
| Hailey Wagner |
Midfield |
Marist |
| Caroline Corbliss |
Midfield |
Monmouth |
| Erin Mammele |
Defense |
Fairfield |
| Gabriella Di Domizio |
Defense |
Iona |
| Alexandra Higgins* |
Defense |
Niagara |
| Kiera Kelly |
Defense |
Quinnipiac |
| Rebecca VanLaeken |
Goalkeeper |
Canisius |
| *denotes unanimous selection |
| Preseason Player of the Year |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Jourdan Roemer |
Attack |
Canisius |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.