ROSEMONT, IL – The Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse team has been picked to finish fourth in the 2019 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll of the league's seven head coaches it was announced Monday. In addition, three players from each team were named to the preseason players to watch list with junior Mackenzie Heldberg and sophomores Shelby Harrison and Jeanne Kachris earning the honor for Hopkins.
Defending champion Maryland was the unanimous pick to win the 2019 title, followed by Northwestern, Penn State, and Hopkins. Michigan (5th), Ohio State (6th) and Rutgers (7th) round out the poll. Maryland defeated Penn State for the Big Ten Tournament title last May in Ann Arbor.
Big Ten women's lacrosse features teams that have won 26 national championships and 22 of the 37 NCAA Championships, including 11 of the last 14. Maryland, Penn State, Northwestern and Hopkins are all ranked in the IWLCA preseason poll.
Harrison and Kachris return after earning All-Big Ten honors a year ago. Harrison led the Blue Jays and set a school freshmen record with 91 draw controls. Her 91 draws are also the second most in school single-season history and ranked second in the Big Ten. Kachris started all 19 games on a defense that ranked second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (10.53) and caused turnovers (8.68). She led the Blue Jays in caused turnovers (22) and ranked fourth in ground balls (32). Heldberg had a breakout sophomore campaign, scoring a team and career-best 41 goals. She also ranked third on the team in points (52) and ninth in the Big Ten in goals.
The 2019 Big Ten Women's Lacrosse Tournament will be hosted by Johns Hopkins on May 3 and 5. The tournament will be a four-team field, with two semifinals on Friday and the championship game on Sunday. The preseason poll and complete Players to Watch list can be found below.
2019 BIG TEN WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
1. MARYLAND
2. Northwestern
3. Penn State
4. Johns Hopkins
5. Michigan
6. Ohio State
7. Rutgers
Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS
2019 WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON PLAYERS TO WATCH
Shelby Harrison, So., Johns Hopkins*
Mackenzie Heldberg, Jr., Johns Hopkins
Jeanne Kachris, So., Johns Hopkins*
Julia Braig, Sr., Maryland*
Jen Giles, Sr., Maryland*
Megan Taylor, Sr., Maryland
Molly Garrett, Jr., Michigan*
Maggie Kane, So., Michigan
Caitlin Muir, So., Michigan
Jill Girardi, So., Northwestern
Selena Lasota, Sr., Northwestern*
Ally Palermo, So., Northwestern
Liza Hernandez, Jr., Ohio State
Baley Parrott, Sr., Ohio State*
Jill Rizzo, Jr., Ohio State
Maria Auth, Jr., Penn State
Kayla Brisolari, Sr., Penn State*
Madison Carter, Sr., Penn State*
Samantha Budd, Jr., Rutgers
Christine DiLullo, Sr., Rutgers
Taralyn Naslonski, So. Rutgers
* denotes 2018 All-Big Ten honoree
