The William & Mary field hockey team had three players honored Wednesday with the release of the Colonial Athletic Association pre-season squad.  The Tribe had two players named to the pre-season first team, and a third who earned honorable-mention accolades.  The team, and the pre-season poll, were both voted on by the CAA coaches who were not allowed to vote for their own team or players.

Leading the way on the pre-season squad for the third year in a row was senior Pippin Saunders (Mittagong, NSW), a two-time first-team All-CAA choice.  Saunders enters her final year in Williamsburg with a team-best 25 goals and 18 assists, and ranks sixth in school history in assists and 12th all-time in goals scored.  Last season was arguably her best, as Saunders had 10 goals while shooting .250 from the field and putting 30 of her 40 shots on-frame, all career-highs.

Joining Saunders on the pre-season team was sophomore midfielder Emma MacLeod (Richmond, Va.), an all-rookie selection last fall.  MacLeod led all freshmen in the CAA with five goals and ranked second with 10 total points.  This summer, she was one of five Tribe players named to USA Field Hockey's U-21 region development program, and one of four to earn a spot at the National Futures Championship.  Joining her in the national team program was classmate Erin Menges (Richmond, Va.), who was named honorable-mention on Wednesday.  Menges was the third-rated rookie last fall in the CAA with eight points (3g, 2a), and earned her spot on the all-newcomers squad.  This summer, she advanced as far as the selection camp for the U-21 National Team, and is in the reserve pool for selection to events over the course of the 2015-16 school year.

The league coaches also voted on the predicted order of finish Wednesday, with W&M garnering one first-place vote and fourth overall.  Two-time defending champion Delaware was the narrow choice to repeat a third time, with James Madison second and last year's regular-season champion Northeastern in third.

2015 CAA Field Hockey Pre-Season Poll
Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1. Delaware (3) 33
2. James Madison (2) 30
3. Northeastern (1) 25
4. W&M (1) 20
5. Drexel 16
6. Hofstra 15
7. Towson 6