Thursday, August 18, 2005
Contact: Chris Kilcoyne
540-387-9073 / chris@odaconline.com

Lynchburg Stands as Favorite in ODAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll

SALEM , VA – In a vote taken by the league’s nine head coaches, the Lynchburg College Hornets came away as the favorite in the 2005 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Field Hockey Preseason Poll.

LC garnered 73 points and three first-place votes to take the top-spot.  The Hornets are led by 2004 ODAC Coach-of-the-Year Enza Steele, who helped her squad to a perfect 9-0 regular season mark in the league and a 16-5 overall record, before falling in the league championship game to Virginia Wesleyan 2-1 a season ago.  Steele will welcome back 2004 ODAC Player-of-the-Year and First-Team All-American Andrea Fleming who returns for her senior season after leading the ODAC with 33 goals and 73 points last season.

Defending league champion Virginia Wesleyan received 69 total points and three first-place votes to come in second in the poll.  Head Coach Kim Michael-Mertes and his Marlins are coming off a season in which they went 17-5 overall and 8-1 in the league, earning the schools first ODAC championship and second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.  Mertes returns First-Team All-ODAC member and All-American Cara Byrd.  Byrd was second in the league in scoring with 46 points on 17 goals and 12 assists in 2004.

Washington and Lee landed in the third lot in the poll with 67 points overall and three first-place votes.  The Generals finished 2004 with an overall record of 9-9 and a 6-3 ODAC record.  W&L advanced to the ODAC tournament semifinals before bowing out with a 2-0 loss to VWC.  First-Team All-ODAC sophomore defender Rebecca Hatchett and fellow first-team member senior midfielder S.B. Northen are back in the fold for the Generals in 2005.

Roanoke came in fourth with 53 points followed by Eastern Mennonite (44-points), Bridgewater (40-points), Randolph-Macon (27-points), Sweet Briar (23-points) and Randolph-Macon Woman’s (9-points).

The 2005 ODAC Field Hockey Tournament is scheduled to begin October 29^th with quarterfinal action at the higher seeds home field.  The semifinals and final will be played on November 4^th and 5^th at the home of the highest remaining seed following quarterfinal action.

2005 ODAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
Place     School                                       Points (First-Place Votes)
1.             Lynchburg                                  73 (3)
2.             Virginia Wesleyan                   69 (3)
3.             Washington and Lee              67 (3)
4.             Roanoke                                   53
5.             Eastern Mennonite                  44
6.             Bridgewater                               40
7.             Randolph-Macon                     27
8.             Sweet Briar                               23
9.             Randolph-Macon Woman’s  9

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