RICHMOND, Va. – Having established themselves among the top players in the Colonial Athletic Association, William & Mary lacrosse standouts Belle Martire and Starr Howard were selected to the league's preseason all-conference team on Wednesday.
 
The team was selected by a vote of the league's head coaches.
 
The honor marks the second consecutive season in which Martire has earned the preseason accolade. The Baltimore, Md., native led the CAA and ranked 11th nationally with 4.0 goals per game during the 2020 campaign, while her 28 goals ranked 13th in the country. She also ranked second in the CAA in points per game (4.57) and led the team in points (32) and shooting percentage (.583).
 
Martire also ranked among the nation's best in converting 8-meter opportunities last spring, as she ranked eighth in the country in free position shooting percentage (.818) and 14th in free position goals per game (1.29).

Highlighting Martire's stellar sophomore season was her record-setting performance in the win against George Washington in which she set a single-game school record with nine goals, coming on just 11 shots.
 
While Martire made an impact at the offensive end of the field, Howard was equally effective on the defensive end and ranked 13th nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.0) last season. Additionally, she ranked 10th in the CAA in ground balls per game (1.83) and was third on the team with 10 draw controls.
 
Howard's impressive 2020 campaign followed up a record-setting freshman season in which she garnered All-CAA Rookie Team honors after setting a single-season school record for draw controls (79), an impressive mark that ranked 10th on the league's all-time single-season list. The Rockville, Md., native also ranked fourth in the conference in draw controls per game (5.27) and sixth in caused turnovers per game (1.33).