Florida opens the 2016 campaign Feb. 6 vs No. 13 Loyola.
Florida Checks in at No. 7 in IWLCA Preseason Coaches' Poll
Monday, February 1, 2016 | Lacrosse
The Gators host No. 13 Loyola Saturday in their season opener.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The defending BIG EAST Champions check in at No. 7 in the 2016 IWLCA Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Monday morning ahead of Florida's season-opener Saturday against No. 13 Loyola at Donald R. Dizney Stadium.
The Gators will square off with the Greyhounds at noon in the home and season opener Feb. 6 and will face a total of six IWLCA top-20 teams through the non-conference season, including No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Syracuse.
Florida, also ranked No. 7 in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Rankings, was picked last week to repeat as BIG EAST Champions in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Caroline Fitzgerald, Mollie Stevens and Taylor Bresnahan were all tabbed Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans. Fitzgerald, Stevens, Bresnahan, Devon Schneider and Sammi Burgess were all identified as All-BIG EAST preseason candidates by vote of the league's head coaches last week.
Last season, the Gators went 15-6 overall and 6-1 in the BIG EAST to win the program's fifth straight conference title, its first in the BIG EAST conference.
Head coach Amanda O'Leary met with the media Monday to preview UF's match-up with Loyola, and the start of a new season in 2016. Watch here.
2016 IWLCA Preseason Coaches Poll
The Gators will square off with the Greyhounds at noon in the home and season opener Feb. 6 and will face a total of six IWLCA top-20 teams through the non-conference season, including No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Syracuse.
Florida, also ranked No. 7 in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason Rankings, was picked last week to repeat as BIG EAST Champions in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Caroline Fitzgerald, Mollie Stevens and Taylor Bresnahan were all tabbed Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-Americans. Fitzgerald, Stevens, Bresnahan, Devon Schneider and Sammi Burgess were all identified as All-BIG EAST preseason candidates by vote of the league's head coaches last week.
Last season, the Gators went 15-6 overall and 6-1 in the BIG EAST to win the program's fifth straight conference title, its first in the BIG EAST conference.
Head coach Amanda O'Leary met with the media Monday to preview UF's match-up with Loyola, and the start of a new season in 2016. Watch here.
2016 IWLCA Preseason Coaches Poll
| Rank | Institution | Points |
| 1 | Maryland (20) | 400 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 378 |
| 3 | Syracuse | 360 |
| 4 | Duke | 299 |
| 5 | Northwestern | 298 |
| 6 | Penn St. | 286 |
| 7 | FLORIDA | 272 |
| 8 | Stony Brook | 245 |
| 9 | Boston College | 242 |
| 10 | Virginia | 239 |
| 11 | Notre Dame | 194 |
| 12 | Princeton | 187 |
| 13 | Loyola Maryland | 178 |
| 14 | Penn | 116 |
| 15 | Louisville | 101 |
| 16 | Stanford | 98 |
| 17 | Johns Hopkins | 87 |
| 18 | Ohio St. | 82 |
| 19 | Southern California | 46 |
| 20 | Albany (NY) | 41 |
The IWLCA Communications committee, which oversees the coaches' polls, has added a new feature in 2016. Following the coaches' poll release each week, the IWLCA will conduct a "Fan Poll" on Twitter, giving everyone the opportunity to weigh in on the order of the top four teams. The Division I Fan Poll on Twitter (@IWLCA), will be posted on Tuesdays at noon, EST, and voting will remain open for 24 hours.
The next IWLCA Division I Weekly Poll will be released on February 8, 2016.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
#FLax
YouTube
Players Mentioned
D
/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
D
/ Lacrosse
A
/ Lacrosse
M
/ LacrosseFlorida Lacrosse | Coach O'Leary and Theresa Bragg 4-30-26
Friday, May 01
NCAA: Coach O'Leary and Theresa Bragg 4-30-26
Thursday, April 30
Kaitlyn Davies: Gator Life
Tuesday, April 28
Kaitlyn Davies: Carwash Convos
Monday, April 27
