Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Northwestern
Buffs Named To Top-25 in Preseason Poll
January 30, 2023 | Lacrosse
BOULDER — The University of Colorado women's lacrosse team was rated No. 25 in the IWLCA Division I preseason poll.
The Buffs received a total of 40 points, and is one of three teams selected from the Pac-12 conference.
"We are looking forward to the 2023 season," head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. "The last two years, we have had some great moments, but lacked the consistency we needed to achieve our goals. This team has been highly motivated over the past few months to put in the work. We are excited about our schedule and the challenges we will face, starting last weekend with our scrimmage against Northwestern."
Colorado Lacrosse saw its first action this season when it faced off against the Northwestern Wildcats in a preseason scrimmage at the CU Indoor Practice Facility Saturday afternoon. Both teams played a full game along with an additional fifth quarter to allow more players to get playing time.
Northwestern had an impressive season last year, going 16-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play. The Wildcats were defeated by Rutgers in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, however made it all the way to the semifinals in the NCAA Tournament. They lost in the semifinals to North Carolina by one point, who went on to win the NCAA Tournament Championship against Boston College.
The Buffaloes are coming off an 11-6 season where they went 5-5 in conference play. At the end of the regular season, Colorado went into the Pac-12 Tournament as the four-seed. CU was eliminated by the Oregon Ducks 14-10 in the first round in Tempe, Arizona to close out the season.
In the offseason, Colorado reloaded the team with a transfer from Marist and nine talented first years.
"We learned a lot of lessons the hard way last year in March and April," Elliott Whidden commented. "We are not focused on anything, but we're continuing to get better every day. Our goal is to be playing in May again and to do that, we know we have to show up everyday and stay focused on what we can control."
The Buffs' regular season will begin on Friday, February 10th when they travel to Nashville to take on the Vanderbilt Commodores. The last time the Buffs faced off against Vanderbilt was in Boulder last season when they won 18-11.
