W&L Picked Third in ODAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll

SALEM, Va. -- The Old Dominion Athletic Conference released its 2009 field hockey preseason poll on Tuesday afternoon and Washington and Lee was picked to finish third.

Lynchburg, the three-time defending ODAC champion, sits atop the poll and received 6-of-8 first-place votes en route to 62 total points. Eastern Mennonite received one first-place vote and totaled 55 points, while W&L followed with the final first-place vote and 50 total points. Virginia Wesleyan (33), Randolph-Macon (31), Roanoke (25), Bridgewater (24) and Sweet Briar (8) rounded out the poll.

The Generals return three All-ODAC performers from last season's team that finished 10-9 (5-2 ODAC) and advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament. The Generals are seeking their first league title since 2005.

Senior Sallie Armstrong (Houston, Texas/St. John's) headlines the returnees. She finished third in the conference in scoring (37 points) and goals (17) last season and earned First Team All-ODAC honors. She enters the 2009 season needing just four goals and 14 points to become the career leader at W&L in each category. Armstrong currently has 39 career goals and 93 career points. Joining Armstrong will be junior Emmy Mathews (Baltimore, Md./Bryn Mawr), who was also a first team all-conference selection in 2008 after totaling 12 points. Mathews started all 19 games, leading the Generals with eight assists, while scoring a pair of goals. Second Team All-ODAC selection Grace McGee (Virginia Beach, Va./Floyd E. Kellam) is also back. She started all 19 games a season ago, totaling one goal and one assist and leading the team with six defensive saves.

The Generals' quest for their second ODAC Championship begins on Sept. 11 as they host No. 11 Johns Hopkins at the W&L Turf Field. Game time is set for 6:30 pm.

-- GENERALS --