ROCHESTER, NY -- The RIT women's lacrosse team is excited for a successful 2016 season. Tenth-year head coach Jeff McGuigan returns a talented corps of veterans, and coupled with another strong recruiting class, the Tigers are poised for a run at a Liberty League Tournament championship in 2016.

"We got together after last season and talked about how we can take the next step," said head coach Jeff McGuigan now in his tenth season at RIT. "We need to finish better this season. The girls have taken it upon themselves to finish every drill, every shot, and every game better this year."
   
Senior captains Holly Leone (Centerport, NY/Harborfields) and Corrina Mandell (Corning, NY/Corning East) return along with classmates Sage Sarkis (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima), and Mariah Hettel (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and will provide leadership on and off the field this season. 

"Our senior leaders have taken ownership of the team," said McGuigan. "They have taken it upon themselves to push their teammates to get better every day on and off the field." 
 
Sarkis will lead a talented attack in 2016. She returns for her final season second all time at the university with 150 career goals, and third in career scoring with 185 points. Last season, Sarkis played in 16 games, led RIT and finished tied for third in the League in scoring with 61 points on 47 goals and 14 assists.
 
Sophomore Emily Livecchi (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy), the 2015 Liberty League Rookie of the Year, returns for her second season in 2016. Last season, Livecchi was second on the team in scoring with 57 points on 44 goals and 13 assists. An All-Liberty League honorable mention selection, Livecchi tallied a season-high five goals three times last season.

Hettel, juniors Nicole Bingo (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder) and Sydney DaCosta (New Bedford, MA/Bishop Stang), along with sophomore Brooks Melnyk (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) will also see time at attack. Senior transfer Jessica Tinker (Chapel Hill, NC/The Pennington School) will vie for playing time. Last season, Bingo played in 16 games and tallied 12 points on nine goals and three assists. DaCosta tallied seven points, while Hettel contributed eight points.

"I like our attack a lot," said McGuigan. "They are a dynamic group that scores goals in bunches. All three work really well together and feed off each other,"
 
Mandell will lead a young but talented group of midfielders in 2016. Sophomores Sammy Ward (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker), Maegen Schmauder, Kristina Glitch (Rochester, NY/Rush-Henrietta) and Cassidy Goodwin (Berlin, CT/Berlin) all return after successful first seasons at RIT. Schmauder finished fourth on the team in scoring with 19 points on 17 goals and two assists. Ward added 12 points, while Glitch added four points.
 
The Tigers defense returns largely in tact in 2016, led by Leone. She could see time at midfield, but McGuigan feels more comfortable having her leadership and experience on the defensive end. Sophomores Liz Bova (Syracuse, NY/West Genesee), Jordan Guerrieri (Rochester, NY/Our Lady of Mercy), Kaitlyn Dolan (North Andover, MA/North Andover) and Sammy Ward (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker) return after successful freshman seasons. Juniors Claire Foggo (Windham, NH/Central Catholic) and Julia Spier (Fulton, NY/G. Ray Bodley) will also see time on defense, and junior transfer Cassie Swan (Webster, NY/Webster Thomas) has been a nice addition to the defense. Leone led the Tigers with 34 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers.

Last season, Leone led RIT with 34 ground balls and 22 caused turnovers, while winning 15 draws. Bova played in 12 games and caused six turnovers, while grabbing 14 ground balls. Guerrieri started all 16 games in 2016, grabbing 17 ground balls and causing six turnovers.

"Coming into the pre season I knew our defense would be one of our strongest groups," said McGuigan. "With the talent and leadership returning I am confident our defense will help us win close games this year."
 
There is a healthy competition brewing for the starting goalie job in 2016. Junior Elizabeth Hughes (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South) returns, while freshman Sophia Wojnovich (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) has pushed Hughes for the starting sport. Last season, Hughes played in eight games, making 21 saves. She finished 2016 with a career-low 7.47 goals against average and a career-bets .512 save percentage.

"Both goalies have pushed each other in practice every day," said McGuigan. "That competition in practice has shown in their performances on the field this pre-season." 
 
McGuigan has put together another tough non-conference schedule in 2016. He feels the tough out-of-conference competition gets the Tigers ready for the grueling Liberty League schedule. RIT opens the season on March 5 at No. 16 SUNY Geneseo. Other non-conference games include the home opener versus SUNY Brockport on March 9 and contests versus SUNY Oswego (March 12), Nazareth College (March 15) and Buffalo State College (March 17).

The Tigers will play two games in Clermont, Florida over Spring Break. The Tigers will face Williams College on March 21 and Farmingdale State on March 24.
 
Liberty League play will kick off right after the team returns home at Clarkson on April 1 and St. Lawrence April 2. RIT will host three straight home games, beginning on April 8 when the Tigers host Rochester. William Smith heads to Rochester for a game on April 15, while No. 19 Union College visits on April 16. After road games at Vassar and Bard, RIT closes out the regular season with home games versus Skidmore and Rensselaer on April 29 and 30.
 
McGuigan is very optimistic about the 2016 season and stresses all the work it is going to take to reach their goals.
 
"I like the way the girls have worked both on and off the field this pre-season," said McGuigan. "Our goal is to qualify for the Liberty League Tournament. If we can take care of the little things, that goal can be attained."