CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Longwood University women's lacrosse team was selected to finish third in the first-ever Big South Conference Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll, as announced today by the league office. High Point University was selected as the preseason favorite in a vote by the eight head coaches in the conference's newest sponsored sport. The Lancers are scheduled to open the upcoming season on Sunday, February 17 when they host Howard University at the Athletics Complex in Farmville beginning at 1 p.m.

“It's a preseason poll and what will matter most is where we finish, not where we were predicted to finish,” said first-year head coach Elaine Jones. “There's so much learning to be done and so many lacrosse games to be played before the end of the season. Ultimately, our goal is to end up at the top of the league standings. We definitely have our work cut out for us and are looking forward to the challenge of competing in the inaugural year of lacrosse for the Big South Conference.”

High Point, who went 15-4 last season and won the regular-season National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) title, received seven first-place votes and 63 total points to claim the top spot in the poll. The Panthers return 11 starters among 16 letterwinners from last year's squad. Associate Big South women's lacrosse member Davidson College tallied the one remaining first-place vote along with 55 total points to finish second.

Longwood, in its first year as a Big South member institution, collected 40 points to take third place in the poll. First-year program Winthrop University earned 36 points to finish fourth, while Liberty University was projected to place fifth with 31 points. Other first-year programs, Coastal Carolina University (28 points) and Campbell University (12 points) were selected sixth and eighth, respectively, while Presbyterian College garnered 23 points for seventh place.

Longwood finished the 2012 season with a 4-13 overall record as a member of the NLC. The Lancers return 18 letterwinners, in addition to adding eight newcomers for 2013.