ANNVILLE, Pa. (Lacrosse) – The Messiah Falcons were selected as the favorite in the 2022 conference preseason poll conducted among the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) women’s lacrosse coaches. The Falcons collected seven first-place votes from opposing coaches for a total of 63 points.
Below is the complete 2022 MAC Commonwealth Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Preseason Poll.
| 2022 MAC Commonwealth Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
(1st Place Votes) |
|
| 1 |
Messiah |
63 |
(7) |
|
|
| 2 |
York |
58 |
(2) |
|
|
| 3 |
Stevenson |
48 |
|
|
|
| 4 |
Lebanon Valley |
40 |
|
|
|
| 5 |
Widener |
39 |
|
|
|
| 6 |
Albright |
30 |
|
|
|
| 7 |
Hood |
22 |
|
|
|
| 8 |
Alvernia |
15 |
|
|
|
| 9 |
Eastern |
9 |
|
|
|
In 2019, Messiah captured their eighth conference championship in program history with a 17-10 victory over the York Spartans. The Falcons have claimed five of the last six conference championships. Junior Rachel Delate had a hand in scoring nine points with five goals and four assists earning her the MAC Commonwealth Most Valuable Player award.
The Falcons advanced to the NCAA tournament where they made it all the way to the first national quarterfinal in program history where their only loss of the year came from No. 3 St. John Fisher. Messiah’s historical season capped at an 18-1 record, 7-0 in conference play, and a No. 5 national ranking.
Rachel Delate and senior Hope Flack both earned all-American nods from the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) for their performances in the 2021 season. In addition, head coach Heather McKay was named IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year.
The IWLCA Division III preseason poll will be announced on Jan. 31. The Division III weekly poll release begins on Feb. 28.
The Nike/USA Lacrosse Division III Women's Preseason Top 20 released on Dec. 20 ranks Messiah at No. 9 and York at No. 16.
The 2022 season is set to begin on Wednesday, Feb. 16 Conference play will begin on Wednesday, March 3 with an eight-game five-week schedule.
The 2022 MAC Commonwealth Women’s Lacrosse Championship is set for May 2, 4, 7. The top-five seeds will battle for the conference title and the NCAA Division III Championship automatic qualifier (AQ).