Mount Olive picked as women’s lacrosse favorite

MOUNT OLIVE – After being featured in two national polls to start the year, the University of Mount Olive women’s lacrosse team was tabbed as the favorite in the preseason Conference Carolinas rankings, which were announced by the league office on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

In 2022, Mount Olive posted a 14-win campaign behind an undefeated 9-0 record in conference action. The Trojans expected to be competitive on a national level this season with the return of nine all-conference selections. UMO was featured at No. 20 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Division II Women’s Preseason Top 20 and No. 23 overall in the ILWomen/IWLCA preseason poll. Entering her third year as head coach, Heather Coppola Heather Coppola has registered a 27-7 record (.794) with the Trojans while earning back-to-back league titles at the helm.

Players to watch for UMO this season include Morgan Paige, a graduate student midfielder from Carthage, N.Y., Bria Hamilton, a senior attacker from British Columbia, Canada who was Third Team All-Conference Carolinas in 2022 and Second Team in 2021 and Logan Hibbard, a junior midfielder from Rochester, N.Y.

Mount Olive was selected to three-peat as conference champions after receiving eight of 10 first place nods from the league coaches. The Trojans currently hold a 25-game winning streak in conference play after going undefeated in Conference Carolinas play in 2022. Belmont Abbey, the league runner-up, was ranked second in the poll after posting an 8-1 mark in conference action last season. Barton was chosen third after winning double-digit games the previous year, while North Greenville and Emmanuel rounded out the top five.

The Conference Carolinas semifinals and championship will be held on April 28 and April 30 in Wilson on the campus of Barton.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics