NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's lacrosse team has been picked second in the Ivy League Preseason Poll, announced by the league on Monday. The Bulldogs were picked 21st in the national ILWomen/IWLCA Preseason Poll, which was also announced on Monday.
 
Yale aims to build on last year's accomplishments, which included being ranked as high as No. 23 in the nation. The Bulldogs set team records for goals (236), points (323) and draw controls (276). Their 11 overall wins were their most since winning 11 in 2008. They tied the school record for Ivy wins in a season (six), finishing in second place and earning a spot in the Ivy League Tournament for the first time. They went on to beat Cornell in the semifinals for the first Ivy Tournament win in school history. 
 
Yale returns 28 players from the 2022 season for 2023. The Bulldogs' captain is senior midfielder Payton Vaughn (Concord, Mass.).
 
This is Yale's eighth year under Erica Bamford, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. Assistant coaches Molly Palella and Colleen Smith are back for their sixth and seventh years, respectively.  
 
The season opener is set for Feb. 18 vs. Vermont at Reese Stadium. The Bulldogs will take on four teams ranked in the preseason top 25: No. 6 Stony Brook, No. 11 Duke, No. 15 Princeton and No. 24 UConn.
 
The Ivy League women's lacrosse tournament, in which the top four teams in the regular season standings compete for the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament, takes place May 5 and May 7 at the site of the No. 1 seed.
 
The ILWomen/IWLCA Poll will be unveiled Mondays throughout the season. It is voted on jointly by coaches throughout the country and members of the media. 
 
2023 Ivy League Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish, with Poll Points (first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Princeton - 126 (14)
2. Yale - 114 (2)
3. Harvard - 81
4. Cornell - 77
5. Penn - 72
6. Brown - 53
7. Dartmouth - 37
8. Columbia - 16