WLAX: JWU Tops Preseason Poll With Sights Set on GNAC Four-Peat
The three-time defending conference champion Wildcats earned eight of the possible 12 first-place votes in the 2019 preseason coaches' poll.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wildcats collect eight
of 12 first-place votes
WINTHROP, Mass. – Winners of three straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championships, Johnson & Wales University (RI) will look for its fourth consecutive GNAC team title in 2020 as the Wildcats open up the latest campaign on Wednesday, February 19 at Coast Guard.
After inheriting a 2017 Wildcats squad that won the GNAC Championship, third-year head coach Jessica Scannapieco has helped guide JWU to two more conference crowns, defeating Regis College, 14-5, a year ago after taking down Lasell University, 20-9, back in 2018.
Last spring, Johnson & Wales also made history with its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory – a 17-8 win over Morrisville State University – before falling to eventual NCAA Division III champion Middlebury.
In the annual GNAC preseason poll, JWU took home eight of the 12 first-place votes for 140 points to lead the way in the rankings, as voted upon by the league's head coaches. After opening on the road versus Coast Guard tomorrow, the Wildcats will be at home for a pair next week against Wheaton (Feb. 26) and MIT (Feb. 29).
Regis finished second in the poll just eight points shy of JWU, collecting the other four first-place votes to account for 132 points. The Pride went 10-1 in GNAC play last spring, falling only to JWU in the regular season en route to the league title game appearance, after going 7-3 the season prior in their first year as a full GNAC member under head coach Courtney Duggan.
The highly anticipated Regis/JWU regular-season matchup will have to wait all the way until Saturday, April 18 in Providence, R.I.
To round out the top-five teams in the ledger, Lasell took the third spot with 120 points, followed by Simmons University with 97 points and Colby-Sawyer College just off that pace with 96 points. Colby-Sawyer went an impressive 7-4 in league play last year in the Chargers' first year as a full GNAC member, before battling Simmons to a 10-9 overtime loss in the GNAC Quarterfinals.
The remainder of the poll included Saint Joseph's College of Maine (90 points), Norwich University (71), Emmanuel College (69), Albertus Magnus College (48), Rivier University (36), University of Saint Joseph (22) and Anna Maria College (15).
The 2020 GNAC Tournament will get underway with quarterfinal action on Saturday, April 25. The conference semifinals are slated for Tuessday, Apr. 28, with the highest remaining seed hosting the GNAC Championship on Saturday, May 2. The GNAC's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament will be at stake.
2020 GNAC WLAX Preseason Poll
1. Johnson & Wales (8) - 140
2. Regis (4) - 132
3. Lasell - 120
4. Simmons - 97
5. Colby-Sawyer - 96
6. Saint Joseph's Maine - 90
7. Norwich - 71
8. Emmanuel - 69
9. Albertus Magnus - 48
10. Rivier - 36
11. St. Joseph (CT) - 22
12. Anna Maria - 15
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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