Jan. 26, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's lacrosse team has been tabbed in a two-way tie for third by the Big Ten coaches in its preseason poll as announced on Monday. Penn State junior Madison Cyr (West Minster, Md.), and seniors Tatum Coffey (Tom Rivers, N.J.) and Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.) were selected as Big Ten Players to Watch.
The Big Ten coaches unanimously selected Maryland the top team following the Terrapins' NCAA championship run in 2014. Northwestern was picked second followed by Penn State and Ohio State in third.
The preseason top four all made appearances in the NCAA Tournament last year. Rounding out the preseason poll were Rutgers and Michigan in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Already a preseason All-American second-team selection by Inside Lacrosse, Cyr looks to pace the Nittany Lions offense once again. Cyr led the Nittany Lions in goals (41) and tied for first with 48 points. The 5-3 midfielder scored on over half her shots (50.6 percent) and was 4-for-8 from the free position. Cyr picked up 20 ground balls, 33 draw controls and caused 21 turnovers, second best on the team in 2014 en route to an IWLCA All-America Third Team honor.
Coffey was named a preseason honorable mention All-American by Inside Lacrosse following her 25-goal, 14-assist season in 2014. The 2012 IWLCA third-team All-American has 87 career goals, 31 assists, 118 points and 102 draw controls in her three years in Happy Valley. Coffey was on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List last season.
McCormick was second on the team last year with 21 goals, while leading the team in assist with 26. As a sophomore, McCormick rattled off 50 goals, 37 assist and 87 points and currently has a career total of 100 goals, 94 assists and 194 points.
Entering her senior year, McCormick sits fifth at Penn State in career assists and in a tie for 11th for career points. McCormick has a chance at the all-time assist record of 115 held by Julie Tice (1997-2000).
The Nittany Lions, who have made three straight NCAA Tournaments under head coach Missy Doherty, enter 2015 as one of six teams in the newly formed Big Ten Conference. Defending national champion and new conference foe Maryland was tabbed No. 1, while No. 8 Northwestern and No. 9 Ohio State are just ahead of PSU.
Penn State's 2015 schedule, which was announced in November, features several ranked non-conference opponents such as No. 5 Virginia, No. 12 Loyola Maryland, No. 14 Princeton and No. 20 Stanford.
Penn State opens the 2015 season Saturday, Feb. 14 against Lehigh in University Park at 1 p.m. The Nittany Lions' first Big Ten contest is slated for March 28 at Rutgers (1 p.m.).