Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
ROCK HILL — The South Atlantic Conference announced their preseason poll and All- Conference Teams for the Spring 2023 season. The Wolves have been ranked fourth in the preseason poll, along with four Wolves being named to the All-Conference list.
Lenoir-Rhyne finished first in the poll, followed by Limestone at two and Wingate at the number three spot. Following Newberry’s place, Anderson, Catawba and Tusculum occupy the five, six and seven spots and Coker came in at number eight. Rounding out the preseason poll is Lincoln Memorial at nine and Mars Hill in the last spot in the conference.
Attacker Cassell Richardson (Forest, Va.), midfielder Marissa Plumer (Chester, Md.), and defenders Madalyn Messersmith (Stevensville, Md.) and Kaitlyn Mason (Cocoa Beach, Fla.) have also been selected as preseason All-SAC selections. Richardson, Plumber, and Messersmith are on the second team while Mason is on the the third team.
Richardson comes into the 2023 season after starting every game of the season and finishing the season with 41 goals and 21 assists on the year. Shooting on goal at an 82% rate, she finished second on the team in goals, scoring three or more goals on six different occasions on the season. Her highest tally came against Mars Hill back on April 16, 2022, when she scored five goals.
Plumer returns as one of the veterans on the team, and looks to build on the great season she had in 2022. Plumer started in all the games on the season, tallying 37 goals and 32 assists on the year. She also accumulated 48 ground balls, caused 29 turnovers, and had 50 defensive clearances. She finished with three or more goals on eight different occasions while also tallying three or more assists on four. Against Converse on April 2, 2022, she accumulated six assists in a 19-2 win against the Valkyries. She almost finished with a hat trick herself, scoring twice in the match as well.
Messersmith also returns as one of the veterans on the team, and she will be a key piece in defense for the Wolves. Starting in all 19 games on the season, she caused 27 turnovers on the season, finishing second on the team. She had 38 ground balls and five defensive clearances on the season as well, while also scoring two goals on the year. Twice, she caused five turnovers against Lenoir-Rhyne on March 30, 2022, in a winning effort and against Wingate on April 28, 2022, in a losing effort. She also scored a goal against Converse and Lincoln Memorial on April 2 and 23, respectively.
Finally, Mason makes the third team after having a solid year in the 2022 season. She had 23 caused turnovers on the year, which was tied for third on the team, and picked up 30 ground balls. She also finished the year scoring a goal. Against Converse on April 2, 2022, she caused four turnovers in a winning effort against the Valkyries, and she scored a goal in a 14-11 win against the University of Montevallo on February 27.
The 2023 women’s lacrosse season will kick off on February 11 against Young Harris College at 2 p.m. before the first home game of the season against Emmanuel College on February 15 at 4 p.m.