Northwestern University Athletics
#B1GCats Picked Second in Preseason Coaches Poll
1/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern women's lacrosse program has been picked to finish second by the Big Ten coaches in its preseason poll, the league office announced Monday afternoon. Northwestern senior Kara Mupo, senior Bridget Bianco and junior Kaleigh Craig were named Big Ten Players to Watch.
Defending national champion Maryland was a unanimous choice to claim the first-ever league title ahead of the Wildcats. The two squads will play the first-ever lacrosse game in conference history when they square off at Lakeside Field on Thursday, March 26.
Ohio State and Penn State were picked tied for third, while Rutgers and Michigan rounded out the poll. Each of the preseason top four qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season.
The Big Ten announced on June 3, 2013 the addition of both men's and women's lacrosse as the conference's 27th and 28th official sports. Northwestern was previously a part of the now disbanded American Lacrosse Conference, winning eight league titles in 13 seasons.
Mupo, a preseason second-team All-American by Inside Lacrosse, embarks on her senior campaign as the Wildcats' returning leading scorer from last season. She finished second on the team with 40 goal and 50 points and is just two goals shy of 100 for her career.
Bianco, a third-year starter in the cage and preseason third-team All-American by Inside Lacrosse, earned IWLCA third-team All-America honors as a sophomore and was one of 25 final nominees for the 2014 Tewaaraton Award last season. She ranked 11th nationally with a 8.15 goals-against average last season and was named an All-ALC second-team honoree, while also earning NCAA All-Tournament team honors.
Craig will return to the field following injury that cost her the final eight games of the 2014 season. She was the team's leading goal scorer with 27 when she suffered the injury and despite missing the final eight games was still named a second-team All-ALC honoree.
The Wildcats open the 2015 season Saturday, Feb. 7 at 5 p.m. (CT) at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum versus USC.
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