The preseason poll rankings for the Ivy League women’s lacrosse teams are in, and Princeton sits atop the poll after receiving a unanimous first-place selection, receiving all 18 votes.
The Penn Quakers follow in second place. They are one of the best teams Princeton will play, including their out-of-conference opponents.
The Tigers are also ranked No. 13 and No. 15 in the Nike/US Lacrosse and ILWomen/IWLCA Division I preseason rankings, respectively.
In spring 2019 — the most recent season in which they competed — Princeton took home the Ivy Championships, one of 13 in program history. The Tigers have held this title for six consecutive years from 2014 to 2019.
The Tigers have had 25 total NCAA tournament appearances, the most in Ivy League history by a wide margin; next up are Dartmouth with 14 appearances and Penn with 12. Three of the Tigers’ 25 appearances yielded an NCAA Championship (1994, 2002, 2003). The only other Ivy team to have held this title was Harvard in 1990.
Head Coach Chris Sailer has witnessed many of the Tigers’ storied successes first-hand. She joined the coaching staff more than three decades ago in 1987. Since then, she has won all three national titles, 15 Ivy titles, and has accumulated 418 wins during her Princeton career.
The team recently learned that this season will be the Sailer’s last, as she leads the Tigers on their quest for another title.
Coach Sailer’s accomplishments in the last 36 years have not gone unnoticed — especially by her players.
“Coach Sailer is a legend and it’s an honor to play for her as a senior in her last year,“ senior attacker Tara Shecter commented.
The Tigers’ season will open on the road against No. 11 Virginia on Sunday, Feb. 20.
“We’re super excited to start playing games after almost two years! Our first game against UVA in two weeks will be a great way to showcase all of the hard work we’ve been putting in this fall,” Shecter added.
The home opener is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 26 against Temple, followed by the Ivy opener against Cornell on Saturday, March 5 at Sherrerd Field.
Julia Nguyen is a co-head editor for the Sports section at the 'Prince' who usually covers the weekly recaps. She can be reached at trucn@princeton.edu or on instagram at @jt.nguyen.
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