INDIANAPOLIS – A rare tie formed at the top as the 2020 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll for the upcoming season was announced on Monday morning.
 
The coaches viewed it too close to call at the top, putting Findlay and Tiffin in a tie for first with three first-place votes apiece. The Oilers and Dragons each received 23 total points in the balloting.
 
Six teams will comprise the conference standings this spring with four teams earning bids to the Great Midwest Championship conference tournament.
 
The Oilers are defending conference champions after a pair of one-goal results was the only thing that separated Findlay from Tiffin in the 2019 matchups.
 
Tiffin had the upper hand in a 13-12 regular season battle while Findlay was able to get redemption in the championship final by a 9-8 count.
 
Former Findlay coach Lauren Simko is now the head coach at Ursuline while Tiffin’s Erica Brown was Great Midwest Coach of the Year while leading her program to a regular season title.
 
Walsh had a conference-leading 13 wins last year under head coach Matt Shields. The Cavaliers will be looking to take that next step forward after winning five straight to conclude the regular season.
 
Lake Erie is just two years removed from a conference championship run of its own. The Storm are also starting a new era with first-year head coach Meaghan Smith coming from Queens (NY) at the Division II level.
 
Simko made the inter-conference move over to the Arrows and is looking to guide Ursuline back to the conference tournament. Alderson Broaddus brought back an alum, Paxton Boyer, to lead the program and she was also a former assistant coach at Davis & Elkins College.
 
With no AQ in women’s lacrosse for the NCAA Championship bracket, the conference is still seeking its first NCAA Championship qualifier. Tiffin finished last year ranked sixth in the Midwest Region.
 
A total of 11 names on the all-conference team last year have graduated, but two individual stars, senior Great Midwest Player of the Year Elle Hamilton on Tiffin and senior Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Year Brittany Stephens, are back on the prowl to lead their teams.
 
Walsh’s Hannah McFeeters will be looking to build upon her strong rookie campaign that resulted in freshman of the year honors.
 
For some teams, the season will begin as early on Feb. 16 and the first conference matches will be played Friday, March 20.

Great Midwest Women's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
 

School	Points
t1. Tiffin (3 first-place votes)	23
t1. Findlay (3 first-place votes)	23
3. Walsh	17
4. Lake Erie	13
5. Ursuline	8
6. Alderson Broaddus	6