WINTHROP, Mass. – The JWU (Providence) softball team has been picked to finish first in the South Division in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) preseason poll.
The Wildcats – who received 10 of a possible 14 first-place votes and a total of 113 points – return five all-conference selections from 2023: seniors
Hailey Erickson (Second Team) and
Julia Huzi (Third Team), juniors
Mackenzie Clee (First Team) and
Caroline Amorelli (Second Team), and freshman
Mady Lyons (First Team).
Albertus Magnus (97 points) and Lasell (94 points) each received two first-place votes and finished 2-3 in the poll. USJ was next with 72 points, followed by Mitchell (72; one first-place vote), Regis (MA) (42), and Dean and Elms (26 each).
In the North Division, defending conference champion Simmons grabbed 11 of a possible 15 first-place votes and topped the poll with 99 points. Emmanuel (MA) (87) and St. Joseph's (ME) (81) were second and third, respectively, followed by Rivier (53), NEC (47), Norwich (30), and Anna Maria (23).
The Wildcats open the 2024 campaign on Sunday, March 3 with games against Alvernia (10:15 am) and Mount Union (12:45 pm) in Jan Phyl Village, Florida.
