IRVING, Texas – Florida’s women’s lacrosse team was unanimously chosen as the preseason favorite in the 2022 American Athletic Conference preseason coaches’ poll, while the Gators had two of the conference’s four positional preseason players of the year in the coaches’ balloting.
 
The Gators, who are ranked No. 7 in the IWLCA/Inside Lacrosse preseason poll and No. 10 in the Nike/US Lacrosse poll, received all five possible first-place votes from The American’s head coaches.


 
The Gators’ Sarah Reznick was the unanimous choice as The American’s Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, while Emma Wightman was named as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. 
 
Vanderbilt’s Gabby Fornia was named as The American’s Preseason Attack Player of the Year, while Temple’s Belle Mastropietro was chosen as the league’s Preseason Midfielder of the Year.
 
Florida went 18-3 and finished No. 7 in the final IWLCA poll in 2021 after the Gators won the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles and reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship. Florida has won 10 consecutive conference regular-season championships and seen straight conference tournament titles, including two each as members of The American. 
 
The Gators will be led this season by Reznick, the All-America goalie who led all Division I players in both save percentage (.567) and goals-against average (6.42) in 2021, and Wightman, who had 31 ground balls and 24 caused turnovers. They are joined on the The American’s Preseason All-Conference Team by defender Becky Browndorf (18 gb, 16 ct), attack Paisley Eagan (32g, 6a), attack Danielle Pavinelli (30g, 7a) and midfielder Emily Heller (12g, 2a, 23 gb, 43 dc). Reznick and Eagan were both unanimous selections.
 
Temple and Vanderbilt, a pair of NCAA tournament teams from last season, tied for second in the 2022 preseason coaches’ poll. 
 
Temple, which is ranked No. 22 in the IWLCA/Inside Lacrosse preseason poll, made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008 last season as the Owls knocked off Massachusetts in their tournament opener before falling to eventual national champion Boston College in the second round. The Owls went 13-6 last season, 7-3 in The American, and look for a return to postseason play behind the play of Mastropietro, who had 43 goals and 12 assists with 59 draw controls as a sophomore last year. Mastropietro and attack Mackenzie Roth (21g, 23a) were unanimous choices to the preseason all-conference team and were joined by defender Katie Shallow (31 gb, 28 ct).
 
Vanderbilt made its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010 last year as the Commodores finished 12-7 overall and 7-3 in the American Athletic Conference. Fornia led The American and ranked third nationally with 55 assists last season and is the top returning scorer in the conference (21g, 55a, 76p). Fornia is one of four Vanderbilt players named to the preseason all-conference team and one of two unanimous selections, along with midfielder Bri Gross (31g, 13 a, 28 gb, 84 dc). Attack Maddie Souza (31g, 11a) and defender Melissa Hawkins (43 gb, 30 ct) were preseason all-conference picks as well.
 
Cincinnati was fourth in the preseason poll. The Bearcats, who went 7-10 overall and 3-7 in conference play last season, will be bolstered by the return of three preseason all-conference selections – attack Kylie Nause (31g, 7a) midfielder Peyton Mottice (16g, 7a, 20 gb, 20 dc, 14 ct) and defender Dani Mlkvy (25 gb, 15 ct). Nause and Mottice were both unanimous choices of the coaches.
 
East Carolina was picked fifth in the preseason poll. The Pirates look to rebound from a 4-12 campaign that included nine games against teams that reached the NCAA tournament. East Carolina placed midfielder Nicole Legar on the preseason all-conference team after LeGar finished with 28 goals, 11 assists, 29 ground balls and 56 draw controls, earning second team all-conference honors in 2021.
 
Old Dominion was sixth in the preseason poll as the Monarchs embark on their second season in The American. ODU, which went 3-14 in its first season in the conference, will be led by unanimous preseason all-conference attack Lilly Siskind, who had 31 goals and 11 assists for 42 points in 2021.
 
The 2022 lacrosse season for American Athletic Conference teams begins Saturday, Feb. 12, while conference play begins April 2. Each team in The American will play five conference games, facing the other five teams in the conference in a single-round-robin scheduling format. 
 
The 2022 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship is scheduled for May 5 and 5 at Johnson Stadium on the campus of East Carolina University. 
 
 
 
2022 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll

	1.	Florida (5) *	25
	2.	Temple (1)	19
		Vanderbilt	19
	4.	Cincinnati	12
	5.	East Carolina	9
	6.	Old Dominion	6
		first-place votes in parentheses

 
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Attack Player of the Year
Gabby Fornia, Vanderbilt
 
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Midfielder of the Year
Belle Mastropietro, Temple
 
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Emma Wightman, Florida
 
2022 American Athletic Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Sarah Reznick, Florida *
 
 
2022 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team
Dani Mlkvy, D, Cincinnati
Peyton Mottice, M, Cincinnati
Kylie Nause, A, Cincinnati *
Nicole LeGar, M, East Carolina
Becky Browndorf, D, Florida
Paisley Eagan, M, Florida *
Emily Heller, M, Florida
Danielle Pavinelli, A, Florida
Sarah Reznick, G, Florida *
Emma Wightman, D, Florida
Lilly Siskind, A, Old Dominion *
Belle Mastropietro, M, Temple *
Mackenzie Roth, A, Temple *
Katie Shallow, D, Temple
Gabby Fornia, A, Vanderbilt *
Bri Gross, M, Vanderbilt *
Melissa Hawkins, D, Vanderbilt
Maddie Souza, A, Vanderbilt
 
* unanimous selection