Commonwealth Coast Conference 2016 Women's Lacrosse Coaches' poll

WATCH VIDEO TO SEE COACHES' SELECTIONS REVEALED

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Coming off its first Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Women's Lacrosse Championship last year, Western New Englandreceived eight of possible nine first place votes to earn the top spot in the 2016 Preseason Coaches' Poll. Salve Regina Univeristy was picked to finish sixth in the conference.

Western New England earned 80 points in the voting, which was conducted by the league's nine women's lacrosse head coaches. The remaining first place vote went to Endicott, who had its nine-year championship run halted last year, as it garnered 68 points for second place.

Last year's CCC runner-up, Roger Williams, was slotted into the third spot in this year's poll with 66 points. The University of New England (53 points) and Gordon (47) landed in fourth and fifth respectively.

Salve Regina (33), Nichols (25), Curry (24), and Wentworth (9) finished off the 2016 poll.

Under new head coach Bill Villareal, the Seahawks went 7-9 in 2015 and qualified for theCommonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) playoffs for the first time since 2012. With seven wins, Villareal set the record for the highest victory total for a first-year head coach in program history. Villareal also had four players make the All-CCC team and eight players make the Academic All-CCC team. 

The Seahawks are guided by the four team captains:  Abigail Tepper (Foxboro, Mass.), Erin Gerhard (Scituate, Mass.), Kimberly Provax (Wayne, N.J.), and Jacqueline Pilatti (South Winsor, Conn.). 

The Seahawks open their 2016 season on the road on March 2 at 4 p.m. against New England College before returning home for a March 9 match with Plymouth State at 4:30 p.m.

Click HERE to view the whole 2016 CCC Women's Lacrosse schedule.