For the fourth time in as many seasons, the Colorado College women's lacrosse team is ranked in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association's Division III Preseason Coaches Poll.

The Tigers, who return six starters and 14 veterans from its 2020 squad, are ranked No. 18 by the IWLCA.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the program's control, CC will not be able to claw its way towards the top of the rankings since many of the teams they expected to play have either cancelled their seasons or are not permitted to play non-conference opponents.

Instead of preparing the Tigers for a run at the program's fifth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship and 12th overall, head coach Susan 'Stuey' Stuart will use the 2021 season to develop players' individual skills and improve the team's depth for 2022 and beyond.

While some veterans such as Maggie O'Donnell, Avery Bell and Caroline Keller opted not to suit up this year, their absence during games and at practice provides opportunities for some of the younger players to make a name for themselves, especially in the offensive zone.

Junior Bella Beattie, who has 33 career goals in just 25 games, will lead a talented, but inexperienced, group of attackers. Sophomore Annie Tucker produced three goals and an assist last year, including a two-goal performance during the 15-12 victory over Illinois Wesleyan University, and is the second among the attackers in terms of experience.

The midfield will be led by sophomores Delia Freliech and Bella Scola, each of whom played in all five games last season. Freliech scored twice in her first collegiate game, the 9-8 victory at Rhodes College in the season opener, while Scola struck for her first two collegiate goals and added two ground balls and two draw controls in the 13-1 victory over Plymouth State University.

CC's most experienced position group is the defense, which has five upperclassmen returning, including senior Sophie Murphy and juniors Natalie Schluter and Abigail Turner.

In 2019, Murphy started 13 of the 19 games in which she played and tied for fourth on the team with 17 caused turnovers and tied for seventh with 25 ground balls. Last season, Turner ranked among the team leaders with eight ground balls and five caused turnovers, while Schluter tied for ninth with six ground balls.
Fortunately, the Tigers have an experienced goaltender in sophomore Natalie Slade. During the 2019 season, Slade played in four of five games and posted a 12.77 goals-against average and a .414
saves percentage against teams that were either nationally or regionally ranked.

CC officially kicks off its 2021 campaign on March 12 when the Tigers play host Colorado Mesa University on Washburn Field.

The Tigers conclude the season with the 2021 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship, May 1-2, in Irving, Texas.