The Gettysburg College women’s lacrosse team received its second top-five billing in a national preseason poll as the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) picked the Bullets fifth heading into the spring campaign.
Ranked fourth in last year’s preseason poll, Gettysburg earned its fourth consecutive top-five preseason selection from the coaches. The team collected 513 total points and finished behind only Middlebury College, Tufts University, Franklin & Marshall College, and Washington & Lee University.
The Bullets earned the No. 4 billing in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division III Preseason Top 20 released on Jan. 22.
The Orange and Blue have not been ranked outside of the top 10 in any national poll preseason or regular season since early in the 2005 campaign. Three times the squad has topped the preseason poll in 2012, 2018, and 2019. Gettysburg closed the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign ranked sixth by the IWLCA.
Gettysburg was off to a 4-1 start in 2020 prior to the cancellation of the season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The team’s only loss came on the road at No. 6 Washington & Lee University (12-9), while two wins came against ranked foes, including a dramatic 12-11 overtime decision at No. 7 Salisbury University which proved to be the season finale.
Head Coach Carol Cantele ’83 is in the midst of her 29th season at Gettysburg. Cantele ranks third all-time in wins in NCAA history and has guided the Bullets to three national titles and 12 Centennial Conference titles. The future of the 2021 season remains undetermined with the CC Presidents’ Council meeting in February to discuss options for spring competition.
| Rank | Institution | Points | FPV | Record | 2020 Final Poll |
| 1 | Middlebury | 625 | 25 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Tufts | 598 | 0 | 0-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Franklin & Marshall | 551 | 0 | 0-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Washington and Lee | 536 | 0 | 0-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Gettysburg | 513 | 0 | 0-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Wesleyan (CT) | 504 | 0 | 0-0 | 5 |
| 7 | Salisbury | 480 | 0 | 0-0 | 7 |
| 8 | Amherst | 448 | 0 | 0-0 | 9 |
| 9 | York (PA) | 444 | 0 | 0-0 | 8 |
| 10 | Catholic | 374 | 0 | 0-0 | 10 |
| 11 | TCNJ | 363 | 0 | 0-0 | 11 |
| T-12 | Bowdoin | 345 | 0 | 0-0 | 13 |
| T-12 | St. John Fisher | 345 | 0 | 0-0 | 12 |
| 14 | Mary Washington | 291 | 0 | 0-0 | 14 |
| 15 | Ithaca | 261 | 0 | 0-0 | 15 |
| 16 | Colby | 258 | 0 | 0-0 | 16 |
| 17 | Brockport | 211 | 0 | 0-0 | 17 |
| 18 | Colorado College | 186 | 0 | 0-0 | 18 |
| 19 | William Smith | 175 | 0 | 0-0 | 19 |
| 20 | Denison | 138 | 0 | 0-0 | 22 |
| 21 | SUNY Geneseo | 128 | 0 | 0-0 | 20 |
| 22 | Trinity (CT) | 85 | 0 | 0-0 | 21 |
| 23 | Pomona-Pitzer | 66 | 0 | 0-0 | 23 |
| 24 | SUNY Cortland | 61 | 0 | 0-0 | 24 |
| 25 | Messiah | 29 | 0 | 0-0 | 25 |
This story was originally posted on the Gettysburg College Website.
