West Babylon, N.Y. – Defending conference champion Mercy headlines the East Coast Conference women’s lacrosse preseason poll that was released on Thursday. Mercy’s Micayla Brady (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, while Molloy standout Amanda Weber (Massapequa, N.Y.) earned Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Mercy, who also begins the season ranked No. 11 in both the Inside Lacrosse Women/Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine Division II Preseason Polls, took six of seven first place votes to top the poll with 48 points. The Mavericks won a second ECC title in three seasons in 2022 and also won a third straight ECC Regular Season Championship. Despite losing five All-Conference honorees, this year’s roster is still littered with talent as seven All-Conference picks return including Brady.
Brady has been chosen as the ECC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season. In 2022, Brady was named ECC Defender of the Year. She ranked second in the ECC with 40 caused turnovers despite missing six games due to injury. She added 33 ground balls and 34 draw controls, which both ranked in the top 15 in the league. In addition to her conference accolades, Brady was named to the IWLCA All-Region Second Team and the USA Lacrosse Magazine All-America Third Team.
Roberts Wesleyan is No. 2 in the poll on the heels of a second straight appearance in the ECC Championship final. The Redhawks join Mercy in the national rankings to begin the season as well, coming in at No. 20 in the ILWomen/IWLCA poll and under also considered in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Magazine list. Roberts also received the final first place vote.
Next up at No. 3 in the poll is Molloy. The Lions return four All-Conference honorees from last year’s squad, including the league’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in Weber.
After earning the ECC Rookie of the Year award in 2021, Weber claimed the conference’s Midfielder of the Year honor last season. She ranked fourth in the league with 54 goals and 73 draw controls and sixth with 66 points. For her efforts, she was also named to the IWLCA All-Region First Team.
The final expected conference tournament participant is D’Youville at No. 4. The Saints made their first-ever ECC Championship appearance in 2022.
St. Thomas Aquinas is next at No. 5, followed by Daemen, who will play its inaugural season in 2023. District of Columbia rounds out the poll in seventh place.
2023 ECC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
| School | Pts. | Last Year's Record |
| 1. Mercy (6) | 48 | 14-5 (6-0 ECC) |
| 2. Roberts Wesleyan (1) | 42 | 9-6 (4-1 ECC) |
| 3. Molloy | 35 | 9-8 (4-2 ECC) |
| 4. D'Youville | 29 | 9-8 (3-3 ECC) |
| 5. St. Thomas Aquinas | 18 | 4-9 (2-4 ECC) |
| 6. Daemen | 14 | n/a |
| 7. Dist. Columbia | 10 | 0-12 (0-5 ECC) |
( ) - first place votes
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Amanda Weber, Sr., M, Molloy
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Micayla Brady, Gr., D, Mercy
