LANCASTER, Pa. – Defending champion Gettysburg edged Franklin & Marshall by the narrowest of margins for top billing in the 2023 Centennial Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll. The Bullets received six first-place votes and 77 points, with the Diplomats just behind in second place with 76 points and the other four first-place nods. 

Haverford was projected to take third place with 65 points, while Washington College (56), Muhlenberg (42) and Swarthmore (36) were also predicted to make the playoffs in fourth through sixth, respectively. 

Dickinson finished seventh in the poll with 34 points, with McDaniel (32), Ursinus (23) and Bryn Mawr (9) rounding out the voting. 

The 2023 women's lacrosse season opens up this weekend with a quartet of CC teams in action. All 10 Centennial teams will begin their seasons by the end of February. Conference play is set to begin on Saturday, March 25 and continue through the end of April. This will mark the first year of an expanded CC Tournament that will now feature six teams, with the playoffs slated for May 3-5-7. All rounds will be hosted at the campus sites of the higher seeds. 

2023 Schedule | 2022 Results | 2022 Statistical Leaders | 2022 All-Centennial Team 

Perennial powers Gettysburg and Franklin & Marshall have finished atop the Centennial for each of the past 20 seasons, and Centennial coaches are projecting another tight battle for first place between the Bullets and Diplomats this spring. 

While the Gettysburg-F&M rivalry is an annual tradition in the Centennial, something about it will feel different this year - legendary Gettysburg head coach Carol Cantele will no longer be on the sidelines after retiring following the 2022 campaign. Undoubtedly one of the top coaches in Division III women's lacrosse history, Cantele retired after 30 years at the helm with an overall record of 446-115, three NCAA national titles, nine Final Four appearances and 13 Centennial championships. Charlotte Cunningham, an assistant under Cantele for four seasons, has taken over as the Bullets' new head coach. 

Centennial squads welcome back loads of talent this spring with 21 All-Centennial, nine All-Region and four All-Americans back with their respective teams in 2023.

F&M's Mary Pat McKenna headlines the lists of conference returners as the lone two-time returning All-American and the reigning IWLCA Division III Defensive Player of the Year. McKenna was also named the Preseason Defender of the Year by USA Lacrosse Magazine. The Gettysburg trio of Jordan Basso, Katie Fullowan and Caroline Sullivan also return as All-Americans after receiving the honor in 2022. McKenna and Basso were both first-team picks in 2022, while Fullowan and Sullivan were honorable mention honorees. Sullivan was tabbed as the DIII Preseason Midfielder of the Year by USA Lacrosse Magazine, giving the Centennial two of the four major preseason accolades from the organization. 

In addition to the quartet mentioned above, All-Region performers back on the field this spring include Gettysburg's Lily Macatee, F&M's Lydia Cassilly and Kate McLam, Haverford's Katharine Ference, and Washington College's Ellie Morrall. 

Nine Centennial squads return at least one all-conference performer to the roster this season. F&M leads the way with five - McKenna (2022 & 2021 first team), Cassilly (2022 first team & Rookie of the Year), McLam (2021 second team), Madison Bray (2022 second team) and Maddy Birch (2021 second team). 

Gettysburg brings back four all-conference honorees - Basso (2022 first team & 2021 second team), Fullowan (2022 & 2021 first team), Sullivan (2022 & 2021 first team), and Macatee (2022 second team). 

Washington College and Dickinson each have a trio of returning all-conference players. The Shorewomen return Morrall (2022 first team & 2021 second team), Abby Laubach (2022 & 2021 second team) and Alexis Tackney (2022 second team). Back in the fold for the Red Devils are a trio of 2022 second-team selections - Delaney Herbert, Liv Yeagle and Caroline Pirone. 

McDaniel's Emma Miller (2022 & 2021 second team) is a two-time All-CC pick while Acadia Noll also nabbed all-conference accolades for the Green Terror as a second-teamer in 2021. Haverford's Ference (2022 first team), Muhlenberg's Samantha Eynon (2022 second team), Swarthmore's Helen Stafford (2022 second team), and Ursinus' Maeve Leonzi (2022 second team) are also back after securing all-star spots last spring. 

Three CC teams are ranked in the the IWLCA Preseason Poll - Gettysburg (5), F&M (6) and Haverford (24). 

2023 Centennial Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll