The Buffs were named in the top 25 in the Preseason Poll

BOULDER The University of Colorado women’s lacrosse team was ranked 25th in Division I by the IWLCA preseason survey.

The Buffs totaled 40 points and are one of two teams selected from the Pac-12 Conference.

“We are looking forward to the 2023 season,” the head coach Ann Elliott Whidden said. “Over the past two years, we’ve had some great moments, but we’ve lacked the consistency we needed to accomplish our goals. This team has been very motivated to put in the work over the last few months. We’re excited about our schedule and the challenges we face starting last weekend against Northwestern.”

Colorado Lacrosse saw its first action of the season when it faced off against the Northwestern Wildcats in a preseason game at the CU Indoor Practice Facility on Saturday afternoon. Both teams played a full game and an additional fifth quarter to give more players playing time.

Northwestern had an impressive season last year, going 16-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Rutgers defeated the Wildcats in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, but still made it all the way to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. They lost in the semifinals by one point to North Carolina, who won the NCAA tournament title against Boston College.

The Buffaloes are coming off an 11-6 season, going 5-5 in conference play. At the end of the regular season, Colorado qualified for the Pac-12 tournament with a fourth-place finish. The Oregon Ducks fell to CU in the first round 14-10 in Tempe, Arizona to end the season.

In the offseason, Colorado loaded up 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,” commented Elliott Whidden. “We are not focused on anything, but we continue to improve every day. Our goal is to play again in May and to do that, we know that we have to show up every day and stay focused on what we can control.”

The Buffs’ regular season begins on Friday, February 10th when they travel to Nashville to face the Vanderbilt Commodores. The last time the Buffs faced Vanderbilt in Boulder was last season, when they won 18-11.