HUDSONVILLE, Mich. -- In a preseason poll of eight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) women's lacrosse coaches, Hope College was tabbed to finish first in the conference after receiving 49 points and all seven possible first-place votes.

Alma College (36 points) edged Calvin University (35 points) by a point with the two teams rounding out the top three.  Trine University is predicted to finish fourth with 29 points and Saint Mary's College received 26 points for fifth place.  Kalamazoo College received the final first-place vote and a total of 21 points for sixth place, followed by Albion College (20 points) and Adrian College (8 points) in seventh and eighth, respectively.

On the way to winning the 2023 MIAA Tournament, the Flying Dutch swept their regular-season opponents 7-0 and finished 12-6 overall.  Hope's roster will be headlined by 2023 MIAA Rookie of the Year, Julia Brown.  The sophomore attacker concluded the conference campaign second in the MIAA with 36 points and third in both goals (24) and assists (12).  The Flying Dutch will also look to the following 2023 All-MIAA honorees:  two-time All-MIAA senior attacker Elena Salazar, First Team All-MIAA midfielders Molly Frederickson (Sr.) and Caleigh Randall (So.), Second Team All-MIAA junior attacker Juli Kirkpatrick, Second Team All-MIAA sophomore midfielder Caroline Curnutt, and Second Team All-MIAA senior goalie Maddie Yakes.

Alma tied-for-second in the MIAA last season with a 5-2 mark in league play (12-3 overall).  Senior midfielder Sam Peterson will highlight the Scots' roster after earning a spot on the All-MIAA First Team last year.  Peterson finished top three in conference competition with 24 goals and 55 shots.  Sophomore midfielder Sarah Bollinger and two-time All-MIAA junior attacker Kirsten Browne will also be appearing on the field this spring after being selected to the 2023 All-MIAA Second Team.

The Knights also tied-for-second in 2023 with a 5-2 conference record and finished 9-7 overall.  In losing all four of the team's 2023 All-MIAA honorees, Calvin will look to four upperclassmen for their leadership throughout the season:  junior midfielder Meghan Chang, junior defender Katie Winkle, senior attacker Kelly Ruha, and graduate attacker Lainey Aldridge.

Trine wrapped up the 2023 regular-season campaign with a 2-5 record and had an overall record of 5-7.  Two-time All-MIAA attacker Calista Richmond returns for the Thunder after receiving a spot on the First Team last year.  Richmond, coming back for her junior season, concluded the 2023 regular-season as the conference leader with 20 assists.  She also finished fifth with a total of 30 points.  Junior goalkeeper Maddy Kasten will also make an appearance on the Trine roster after earning Second Team All-MIAA recognition in 2023.

The Belles welcome Kara Visker in her inaugural season as head coach of the program.  Last year, Saint Mary's was in the trio that tied-for-second with a 5-2 conference record (12-7 overall).

Kalamazoo (1-6 MIAA, 5-12 overall), Albion (3-4 MIAA, 6-10 overall), and Adrian (0-7 overall, 5-10 MIAA) round out the preseason poll.

The Hornets will look to returning two-time All-MIAA midfielder Hannah Heeren in her senior year at Kalamazoo.  Heeren finished conference play in the top five with 33 points, 23 goals, 10 assists, 51 shots, 40 shots on goal, 27 ground balls, 42 draw controls, and 16 caused turnovers last season.

Both Albion and Adrian will be led by new coaches this season.  Emily DiRado will be at the helm of the Brits program after serving as an assistant coach for the program since her graduation from Albion in 2016.  The Bulldogs will look to Amanda Asher as the ninth head coach in Adrian women's lacrosse program history.

The first contest between MIAA teams is slated for Wednesday, April 3, with Hope hosting Alma at 4:00 p.m.  Saint Mary's will travel to Albion on Friday, April 5, at 7:00 p.m. before a Saturday full of conference matchups.

The 2024 MIAA Women's Lacrosse Tournament will begin with the semifinals on Wednesday, May 1, followed by the championship contest on Saturday, May 4.  The winner will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship which will begin May 11-12.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.