SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Mercer Bears were picked to finish first for the 2020 Southern Conference women's lacrosse season by the league's six head coaches. The coaches also picked a 12-member preseason All-Southern Conference team.
 
Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams or student-athletes. Three of the six teams were represented on the preseason All-SoCon team.
 
Mercer earned a total of 24 points in the preseason poll, receiving four first-place votes after sharing the regular-season title and winning the 2019 SoCon Women's Lacrosse Championship. The Bears were represented on the preseason all-conference team by attacker Hailey Rhatigan, midfielder Catie Snee, defender Michaela Lucas and goalkeeper Iseabal Cryne. Rhatigan returns after scoring a Mercer single-season record 62 goals and adding 18 assists for 82 points. She led the conference and ranked 17th nationally in goals scored, while also ranking inside the top 10 nationally in shots per game (8.32) and shots on goal per game (6.26). Rhatigan was named the league's freshman of the year and 2019 SoCon Women's Lacrosse Championship Most Outstanding Player, as well as being selected to the 2019 All-SoCon first team and all-tournament team. Lucas led Mercer and ranked third in the conference with 75 draw controls, while Snee ranked fifth on the team with 30 points, tallying 19 goals and 11 assists. The senior duo started in all 20 matches, with both being named to the All-SoCon second team. Cryne started 19 games last season with a 9-10 record. The junior netminder led the SoCon and ranked 37th nationally with 161 saves and finished second in the conference with a.417 save percentage. Cryne was named to the SoCon All-Tournament team after recording 20 saves over the Bear's two tournament matches.
 
Furman was selected to finish second with 20 total points and one first-place vote after taking a share of the regular-season title last year. The Paladins placed attackers Hannah Demis and Grace Pollak, midfielder Sydney Catts and defenders Morgan Franklin and Avery Whitehead on the preseason all-conference team. Pollak, a 2019 All-SoCon first-team selection, led the Paladins and finished third in the conference with 50 goals. She also finished fifth in the league with 65 points after dishing out 15 assists. She is joined in the attack by Demis, an all-tournament selection, who led the SoCon with 37 assists last year. Demis also scored 30 goals for 67 points, the fourth-best mark in the conference. Catts represents the Paladins in the midfield after notching 18 points on 16 goals and two assists. Catts finished second on the team with 43 draw controls and scooped up 26 ground balls. Franklin and Whitehead round out the Furman contingent after earning first- and second-team all-conference honors last season, respectively. Whitehead tallied a goal and an assist and was named to last year's all-tournament team. Both defenders scooped up 35 ground balls, while Whitehead caused 19 turnovers with Franklin forcing 16.
 
Central Michigan came in just behind Furman at 19 points with one first-place vote after also taking a share of the regular-season title last season. The Chippewas placed three on the preseason All-SoCon team in attacker Natalie Karlen, midfielder Shannon Doyle and defender Brianna Hart. Karlen, an All-SoCon second-team selection in 2019, led Central Michigan in points (61), goals (45), shots (103) and shots on goal (80) and was second in assists (16). The senior ranked fourth in the SoCon in goals and sixth in points and shots. Doyle joins Karlen after being named to the All-SoCon second team and all-tournament team last year. She finished second on the team in ground balls (37), while ranking third in goals (28), draw controls (39) and caused turnovers (15). Hart, a 2019 All-SoCon second-team selection, was the final Chippewa selected to the team. The senior started all 18 games and ranked third on the team with 36 ground balls and fourth in caused turnovers with 14.
 
Detroit Mercy was picked to finish fourth with 13 total points, with Wofford and Delaware State rounding out the poll with nine and five points, respectively.
 
The 2020 Southern Conference women's lacrosse season gets underway Friday, Feb. 7, when Detroit Mercy, Furman and Mercer open their respective seasons. Detroit Mercy and Mercer open on the road against Northwestern and High Point, respectively, while Furman hosts East Carolina. Wofford begins play Feb. 13 with a road trip to Duke, while Delaware State hosts Lafayette on Feb. 15. Central Michigan is the final team in action, with its first game at Notre Dame on Feb. 16.
 
 
2020 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches Poll
Team (1st-place votes)            Total
1.      Mercer (4)                              24
2.      Furman (1)                             20
3.      Central Michigan (1)                     19
4.      Detroit Mercy                                         13
5.      Wofford                                                          9
6.      Delaware State                         5
 
2020 Preseason All-Southern Conference team
A       Natalie Karlen, Central Michigan
A       Hannah Demis, Furman
A       Grace Pollak, Furman
A       Hailey Rhatigan, Mercer
M      Shannon Doyle, Central Michigan
M      Sydney Catts, Furman
M      Catie Snee, Mercer
D       Brianna Hart, Central Michigan 
D       Morgan Franklin, Furman
D       Avery Whitehead, Furman
D       Michaela Lucas, Mercer
GK    Iseabal Cryne, Mercer