PAC Release

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. -- A Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) finalist a year ago, the Allegheny College women's lacrosse team was voted second in the conference in the 2024 PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Allegheny finished with 70 points and one first-place vote in the poll after going 14-5 overall and 8-1 against PAC opponents in 2023. The Gators were only nine points shy of No. 1 Washington and Jefferson College, who earned 79 points after winning the championship tournament last spring.

Chatham University (62), Grove City College (60), and Franciscan University (45) rounded out the top five.

Five Gators were cited on the PAC's Players to Watch list. That included seniors Sybi Gerhart (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) and Emily Herrold (Hampstead, Md./Manchester Valley), junior Lauren Petrarca (Simi Valley, Calif./Royal), sophomore Amelia Henderson (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny), and freshman Katherine Surdykowski (Chesterfield, N.J./Northern Burlington County Regional). Petrarca and Herrold, who will lead the midfield unit, are the team's leading returning scorers after logging 77 and 26 points, respectively. Gerhart joined Petrarca on the All-PAC First Team last season, while Henderson was named to the All-PAC Second Team as a defender.

Allegheny kicks off the 2024 campaign at home on Saturday, February 24, when the Gators host Ohio Wesleyan University at Frank B. Fuhrer Field at 1:00 p.m.