IRVING, Texas – Florida’s women’s lacrosse team was unanimously chosen as the preseason favorite in the 2023 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 ILWomen/IWLCA preseason poll, received all six possible first-place votes from The American’s head coaches.
 
The Gators’ Danielle Pavinelli was the unanimous choice of the coaches as The American’s Preseason Attack Player of the Year, while Sarah Reznick was tabbed as The American’s Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year. 
 
Temple’s Belle Mastropietro was unanimously chosen as the league’s Preseason Midfielder of the Year, while James Madison’s Mairead Durkin was named as The American’s Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Florida went 17-5 and finished No. 8 in the final IWLCA poll in 2022 after the Gators won the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles and reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the second straight season. Florida has won 11 consecutive conference regular-season championships and eight straight conference tournament titles, including three each as members of The American. 
 
The Gators will be led this season by Pavinelli, who led The American with 73 goals and 99 points in 2022 on her way to IWLCA second-team All-America status. Reznick led the conference in both save percentage (.480) and goals-against average (9.48) and enters her fourth year as the Gators’ starter. They joined attack Emma LoPinto (63g, 34a, 97p), an IWLCA third-team All-America pick as a rookie in 2022, as unanimous selections to The American’s Preseason All-Conference Team. Florida also had midfielder Emily Heller (31g, 8a, 39p), defender Catherine Flaherty (20 gb, 7 ct) and attack Tayler Warehime, a transfer from North Carolina, on the preseason team.
 
James Madison, which is ranked No. 12 in the ILWomen/IWLCA preseason poll, was picked second in The American’s poll as the Dukes play in the league for the first time. James Madison went 14-5 overall and won the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title before reaching the second round of the NCAA Championship last season. Durkin earned IWLCA second-team All-America honors last season after she had 45 ground balls and 52 caused turnovers and was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Attack Isabella Peterson was an IWLCA third-team All-America pick and the CAA Player of the Year after she had 72 goals and 15 assists for 87 points. Durkin and Peterson were both unanimous choices to The American’s preseason all-conference team.
 
Vanderbilt edged Temple by one point for third in the preseason poll. The Commodores went 11-7 last season and fell to Florida in the American Athletic Conference Championship final. Midfielder Bri Gross, who had 31 goals, 10 assists, 32 ground balls and 74 draw controls, was a unanimous preseason all-conference selection.
 
Temple was fourth in the preseason poll after the Owls went 11-6 overall and 4-1 in The American in 2022. Mastropietro was the unanimous choice as Preseason Midfielder of the Year on the heels of her 44 goals, 24 assists, 31 ground balls and a league-leading 105 draw controls last year. She was joined on the preseason all-conference team by attack Mackenzie Roth, who had 23 goals and 36 assists last season.
 
East Carolina was fifth in the preseason poll. The Pirates enjoyed their best season in their young history as East Carolina went 9-9 and played in the American Athletic Conference Championship for the first time. Attack Caroline Kimel (27g, 33a, 60p) was a unanimous preseason all-conference pick, while defender Alexandra Giacolone (39 gb, 24 ct) was named to the 16-player squad as well.
 
Cincinnati was sixth in the preseason poll. The Bearcats went 7-10 last season, place defender Dani Mlkvy (38 gb, 81 dc, 15 ct) and midfielder Ava Goeller (44g, 15a, 59p, 26 gb, 44 dc, 15 ct) on the preseason all-conference team as Mlkvy was chosen unanimously.
 
Old Dominion was seventh in the preseason poll. The Monarchs and first-year head coach Theresa Walton will turn to unanimous preseason all-conference attack Lilly Siskind (57g, 20a, 77p) as ODU looks to climb in the conference standings.
 
The 2023 lacrosse season for American Athletic Conference teams begins Saturday, Feb. 11, while conference play begins March 18. Each team in The American will play six conference games, facing the other six teams in the conference in a single-round-robin scheduling format. 
 
The 2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship is scheduled for May 4 and 6 at Howarth Field on the campus of Temple University. 
 
 
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches’ Poll

	1.	Florida (6) *	36
	2.	James Madison (1)	30
	3.	Vanderbilt	24
	4.	Temple	23
	5.	East Carolina	17
	6.	Cincinnati	11
	7.	Old Dominion	6
		first-place votes in parentheses

 
2023 American Athletic Conference Preseason Attack Player of the Year
Danielle Pavinelli, Florida *
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Preseason Midfielder of the Year
Belle Mastropietro, Temple *
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Mairead Durkin, James Madison
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Sarah Reznick, Florida
 
 
2023 American Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team
Ava Goeller, M, Cincinnati
Dani Mlkvy, D, Cincinnati *
Alexandra Giacolone, D, East Carolina
Caroline Kimel, A, East Carolina *
Catherine Flaherty, D, Florida
Emily Heller, M, Florida
Emma LoPinto, A, Florida *
Danielle Pavinelli, A, Florida *
Sarah Reznick, G, Florida *
Tayler Warehime, A, Florida
Mairead Durkin, D, James Madison *
Isabella Peterson, A, James Madison *
Lilly Siskind, A, Old Dominion *
Belle Mastropietro, M Temple *
Mackenzie Roth, A, Temple
Bri Gross, M, Vanderbilt *
 
* unanimous selection