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LANCASTER, Pa. – No. 3 Franklin & Marshall starts the 2016 campaign on Wednesday when the Diplomats travel to No. 8 York for a 3:30 p.m. game. The defending Centennial Conference (CC) Champions have all the pieces in place to make it to the program's 12th the CC Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 17th time in school history.
Click here to watch the preseason video.
2016 Diplomats
F&M returns 23 members, including nine starters from last year's team that finished with a 20-3 mark, won the CC Title and advanced to the NCAA Final Four. With most of their players from last year's squad still on the roster and a strong group of newcomers, the Diplomats are set for their seventh CC Crown and sixth Final Four appearance.
Click here to meet the 2016 women's lacrosse team.
Attack
All-American Grace Saliba returns at attack after finishing second on the team in both assists (43) and points (78) and was fourth with 35 goals last season. The senior tallied three or more points in 19 contests, including four games with five or more points, and had a 79.2 shot-on-goal percentage. 2015 CC Rookie of the Year Paige Moriarty joins Saliba at attack. She led the team with 87 points and 46 assists and finished with 41 goals last year. Junior Gabby Frank will be the third starter at attack after finishing last year with 72 points, 53 goals and 19 helpers.
Juniors Natalie Delinsky, Claire Jackson, and Yen Baker will join freshmen Claire Miller and Madison Valerio in the rotation at attack.
Midfield
Senior Anastasia Mergner and sophomore Katie Groenke return to lead the midfield position this year. Mergner had 77 draw controls and 31 caused turnovers and ended last year with 23 points. Groenke had 36 draws and recorded eight points.
Freshmen Maddie Hughes, Caroline Kolva, Bridget O'Donnell and Danielle Wilson along with sophomores Ryann Laible and Aly Saliba will also see time this season, as will juniors Taylor Freud and Siobhan Burke.
Defense
CC Defensive Player of the Year and All-American Vanessa Budd will lead the defensive unit this year. Budd, a junior, anchored the Diplomats on the defensive side of the ball, as F&M gave up just 7.26 goals per game. The sophomore was second on the team in ground balls at 33, caused the second-most turnovers with 20, and finished with 43 draw controls.
Fellow All-American Samantha Blicht joins Budd to make the most formidable defensive unit in the country. The senior started in 22 contests, playing a major role for the Diplomats' stifling defense and led the team in ground balls (37) and caused turnovers (29).
Joining the pair are seniors Caroline Doran and Sarah Bozzo who will both start again this season. Doran had 26 ground ball and 16 caused turnovers while Bozzo finished last season with 23 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers. Stephanie Speese will be the fifth defender to rotate in on the defensive unit.
Juniors Hannah Thomas, Peyton Annese, and Rachael Consoli will be called upon to rotate in on defense and freshman Maura Smith will see significant minutes this season.
Goalie
Sophomore Danielle Harrington will start in the cage this year after starting 11 contests last season toward the end of the year. Harrington finished with an 11-2 record and allowed 7.94 goals per game with 81 saves. Senior Kaitlin Hardt should also see time on the field and will again provide valuable leadership to the defensive unit. Freshman Julia McKay adds depths to the already talented goalie spot.
Preseason Polls
The Diplomats were picked to repeat as champions in the 2016 CC Preseason Poll, grabbing seven first place votes. Gettysburg was picked second followed by Washington, Dickinson, and Haverford. F&M is ranked third in both the Lacrosse Magazine Preseason Poll and the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWCLA) Preseason Poll behind only Cortland and Trinity.
The Road Ahead
An always challenging schedule, F&M opens 2016 by facing off against one of five non-conference opponents that ended last year in the top-20 poll, when F&M travels to No. 8 York on Wednesday.
The home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 27 against No. 16 Washington and Lee. F&M travels to No. 9 Salisbury on Mar. 23, with CC play starting Saturday, March 26 when the Diplomats welcome Muhlenberg to Tylus Field. The CC Semifinals are set for Friday, May 6 with the Title game on Saturday. The NCAA Tournament begins Saturday, May 14, with the Final Four once again taking place at PPL Park in Philadelphia on May 28-29.
A new feature to this year's schedule is the "Add to Calendar" button, which allows fans to sync new events and updates directly in their Google, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook, ICal and additional calendars.
Look for the icon below, which can be accessed at the top-right of the women's lacrosse schedule when viewed on your computer, or bottom-left of all schedules on your mobile device.
Follow Along (Social Media)
All of your favorite Diplomat athletic teams are available on social media. Follow them on Twitter and Instagram, like them on Facebook and subscribe to the Diplomats YouTube page for numerous highlight videos of games throughout the season. You can also sign up to receive emails of game recaps, weekly previews, and schedule changes by clicking here.
All home contests are streamed in HD video, free of charge. Fans can follow the action on the live stats page, found here.
