CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (Feb. 3, 2017) - After earning seven of nine first-place votes, the LIU Post women's lacrosse was pegged as the preseason favorite in the 2017 East Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday.

It is the seventh-straight year that the green and gold have topped the rankings.

The Pioneers, who collected 78 points in the voting, won their second-consecutive ECC Tournament title last May with a thrilling 7-6 victory against Dowling.

Senior defender Cara Douglas (West Islip, N.Y.) was recognized as the ECC Preseason Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

In 2016, Douglas, an All-ECC first-team and IWLCA All-America second-team selection, caused a team- and league-best 46 turnovers, and ranked second amongst the conference's leaders in ground balls (51). She also helped to spearhead a defensive unit that limited opponents to the second-fewest goals per game (4.33) in Division II.

NYIT was second in the poll, earning 71 points and two first-place votes. Mercy (60 points), Molloy (53 points) and St. Thomas Aquinas (42 points) rounded out the Top-5.

Head Coach Meghan McNamara and her LIU Post squad open the 2017 campaign on Saturday, Feb. 25, when they host No. 20 Pace University at noon at Bethpage Federal Credit Union Stadium in Brookville.

2017 ECC Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
1. LIU Post (Seven First-Place Votes) - 78 Points
2. NYIT (Two First-Place Votes) - 71 Points
3. Mercy - 60 Points
4. Molloy - 53 Points
5. St. Thomas Aquinas - 42 Points
6. Roberts Wesleyan - 41 Points
7. Queens - 26 Points
8. Bridgeport - 25 Points
9. Dist. Columbia - 9 Points