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Duke Comes in at No. 9 in ILWomen Preseason Poll
12/22/2016 9:15:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
DURHAM, N.C. – After making the program's 19th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in 2016, the Duke women's lacrosse team was listed No. 9 in Inside Lacrosse's 2017 Face-Off Yearbook preseason rankings.
Reigning NCAA champion North Carolina headlined the Division I preseason poll, followed by Maryland, Florida, Stony Brook and Penn State. Southern California, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Duke and Northwestern rounded out the top 10.
The Blue Devils were one of six ACC squads to appear within the top 20, with Virginia coming in at No. 12 and Boston College at No. 17.
In addition, eight of Duke's 2017 opponents were listed in the initial poll, including four inside the top 10. The Blue Devils' non-conference slate features matchups with three ranked squads in No. 10 Northwestern, No. 11 Penn and No. 15 Stanford.
Duke advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and finished the year with an 11-9 ledger. The team returns 29 letterwinners and eight starters in 2017, including a pair of All-America selections in junior midfielder Maddie Crutchfield and junior attacker Kyra Harney. Harney was third in the ACC last spring with an average of 2.55 goals per game while Crutchfield paced the Blue Devils in caused turnovers and was tied for the team lead in assists.
Crutchfield and Harney will be joined by 2016 first team All-ACC selection Maura Schwitter, who over the summer was named to the 2017 U.S. women's national team. Seniors Isabelle Montagne and Devon Russell and sophomore Michelle Staggers also return to Duke's defensive unit, as does senior Stuart Humphrey to the midfield. The team will field additional experience on attack in junior Grace Fallon and sophomore Olivia Jenner, who broke the program record for single season draw controls (110) as a rookie last season.
The Blue Devils host Delaware for a scrimmage Sunday, Jan. 29 before kicking off the season at home Sunday, Feb. 5 against Drexel.
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/ Women's LacrosseAndie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
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