Lacrosse Picked Fourth in BIG EAST; Latgis Named to Preseason Team

NEW YORK - In its final season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference, Temple lacrosse has been picked to finish fourth of 10 teams in the Preseason BIG EAST Coaches Poll. In addition, senior co-captain Nicole Latgis was chosen unanimously to the BIG EAST Preseason Team.

Latgis had a breakout year for the Owls on defense in 2017, and was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team at the conclusion of the season. She started in all 18 games and was assigned to mark many of the top players Temple faced. Latgis led Temple with 26 caused turnovers and ranked second on the team with 37 ground balls. She posted a career-high six ground balls and a career-high four caused turnovers in the Owls' 11-9 come-from-behind win at Cincinnati on April 5, and was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. In conference games only, Latgis led the league with 3.0 ground balls per game and ranked second with 1.89 caused turnovers per game.

Overall, Temple went 13-5 and finished 6-3 in the BIG EAST to place fourth in 2017. The Owls advanced to their second-straight BIG EAST Tournament, but fell short of a championship game appearance after losing to #2 and top-seeded Florida. With its 13-2 start, Temple tied the best start for the program since the 1997 season. The Owls' 13 wins tied their win total from 2016, which was then the best since 2008. Four of Temple's five losses came against teams ranked in the IWLCA Top 20, including two against #2 Florida.

Three-time reigning BIG EAST women's lacrosse champion Florida was unanimously selected to win a fourth league crown, and the Gators also boast BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Lindsey Ronbeck and Defensive Player of the Year Haley Hicklen.

Florida claimed all nine available first-place votes for 81 points, while 2017 runner-up Denver garnered the other top vote and 73 points for second-place honors. Georgetown placed third with 62 points, followed by Temple in fourth (56 points) and Connecticut in fifth (49). Vanderbilt and Marquette tied for sixth with 37 points apiece, with Villanova (27 points), Cincinnati (19) and Butler (9) rounding out the poll. The BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, major awards and all-conference selections are based on ballots cast by the league's 10 head coaches, who cannot vote for their own teams or student-athletes.

BIG EAST Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll
1.   Florida (9)     81
2.   Denver (1)     73
3.   Georgetown 62
4.   Temple          56
5.   Connecticut 49
6.   Vanderbilt     37
      Marquette     37
8.   Villanova       27
9.   Cincinnati      19
10. Butler            9

BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Lindsey Ronbeck, Florida, Jr., A

BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Haley Hicklen, Florida, Jr., GK

Preseason All-BIG EAST^
Julia Blaze, Vanderbilt, Jr., M
Katie Comerford, Villanova, So., A
Cassie Ekstrom, Connecticut, Sr., D
Julia Feiss, Denver, Jr., A
Grace Gabriel, Marquette, Jr., M*
Haley Hicklen, Florida, Jr., GK*
Kendra Lanuza, Denver, Jr., A*
Nicole Latgis, Temple, Sr., D*
Grace Nolan, Connecticut, Sr., A*
Allie Pavinelli, Florida, Sr., M
Shayna Pirreca, Florida, Sr., A
Sydney Pirreca, Florida, Jr., M*
Lindsey Ronbeck, Florida, Jr., A*
Morgan Ryan, Georgetown, Jr., A
Cara Trombetta, Florida, So., D
Francesca Whitehurst, Georgetown, Jr., M*

*unanimous selection
^extra player added due to a tie in voting

Temple University Athletics

Lacrosse Picked Fourth in BIG EAST; Latgis Named to Preseason Team

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