RICHMOND, Va. – Elon University women's lacrosse goalie Rachel Ramirez and attacker Stephanie Asher have been named preseason CAA honorees, the conference announced Friday afternoon. Elon was also picked to finish third in the conference in 2017, which marks the highest preseason selection for the Phoenix in program history.
 
In addition to the pair's nod to the Preseason All-CAA team, Sloane Kessler and Alexis Zadjura were both tabbed All-CAA honorable mentions. For Ramirez and Asher, it marks the second-straight season the two have been named preseason All-CAA honorees and it's the second year in a row Kessler has been named preseason honorable mention.
 
Asher, a postseason All-CAA honoree in each of her first two seasons with the Phoenix, led the team in goals for the second season in a row with 38 and was third in the CAA with 2.24 goals per game. The 5-7 junior out of Glenelg, Md., has started ever game for the Phoenix in her two years with the program. Throughout her career, she has scored 82 goals for the Phoenix.
 
One of two goalies selected to the preseason team, Ramirez enters her final year with the program as Elon's only starting goalie in program history. To date, she has started all 50 games and finished her 2016 season with a 7.52 goals against average, which was good for third in the CAA. She also finished fourth in the conference with 5.88 saves per game. A season ago, she led the CAA with 52 ground balls and set a new program record with seven against Towson. Ramirez was the only goalie selected First Team All-CAA after the season.
 
A senior captain in 2017, Kessler is coming off a season in which she was named Second Team All-CAA and scored 26 goals, good for second on the team. She led the team with 46 points, which was the sixth-most in the CAA, and led the team with 20 assists. She ranked third in the CAA with three game-winning goals and scored a season-high four goals on two occasions.
 
Zadjura, like Kessler, was named Second Team All-CAA in 2016 and has been named an All-CAA honoree in each of her first two seasons after being named to the All-Rookie team in 2015. Zadjura started all 17 games and was third on the team in both ground balls (28) and draw controls (21). Named Team MVP in 2016, she was also picked to the CAA All-Tournament team a season ago.
 
Elon earned 25 votes in the preseason poll, the most it has garnered in four preseason polls it has been a part of to date. Towson was picked to win the conference by the narrowest of margins over James Madison. The Tigers garnered four first-place votes and 34 points in the standings while JMU picked up three first-place votes and 33 points. Delaware, Drexel, Hofstra and William & Mary round out the preseason poll, in that order.
 
The Phoenix opens the 2017 season on Saturday, Feb. 4, at Rudd Field against Campbell. Elon is set to play four of its first five games of the season at home with the lone road trip coming Feb. 11 at ACC foe Virginia.
 
2017 CAA Women's Lacrosse Predicted Order of Finish
Team | Points (First-place votes)
1. Towson | 34 (4)
2. James Madison | 33 (3)
3. Elon | 25
4. Delaware | 21
5. Drexel | 17
6. Hofstra | 10
7. William & Mary | 7
 
2017 Preseason All-CAA Women's Lacrosse Team
Name | School | Position
Stephanie Asher | Elon | A
Leah Monticello | James Madison | A
Nadia Pelham-Lacey | Drexel | A    
Natalie Sulmonte | Towson | A       
Emily Gillingham | Towson | M
Kaitlyn Montalbano | Towson | M
Shannon Quinn | William & Mary | M
Haley Warden | James Madison | M
Abby Junior | William & Mary | D
Rebecca Tooker | James Madison | D
Tiana Wallpher | Towson | D
Eva Winiarski | Drexel | D
Rachel Ramirez | Elon | GK
Angie Benson | Towson | GK

Honorable Mention: Sloane Kessler (Elon, Sr., M), Coley Ricci (Delaware, Sr., M), Elena Romesburg (James Madison, Jr., D), Jamie Schawartz (Delaware, Sr., A), Amanda Seekamp (Hofstra, Jr., M), Alexis Zadjura (Elon, Jr., M)