EDISON, New Jersey -- The Marist water polo team was picked to finish second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Coaches Poll as voted by the league's eight head coaches. 

Four-time defending MAAC Champion Wagner College was picked to finish first with Iona College, Virginia Military Institute, Villanova University, Siena College, St Francis-Brooklyn and LaSalle University ranked third through eighth respectively.

In addition to the Red Foxes being picked to finish second, junior center Grace Doerfler was named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team, which is her first preseason nomination. Doerfler finished the 2017 season with 42 goals, three assists, 45 points, a team high 40 drawn kickouts and nine steals. 

Marist also enters the season ranked #23 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Preseason Poll, the first time the Red Foxes were included in the organization's preseason poll since 2011 when they opened at #20. 

Fourteen players from last season's team return in 2018, including last year's third and fourth leading goal scorers in Doerfler (40) and sophomore Justine Castro (31), the most steals and second most assists in 2016 in senior co-captain Diana Carballo and all three goalies (senior Jessica Hermosillo, junior Hope Vickers and sophomore Carsen Horvatich) from last season who combined for 243 saves to go along with 10 assists and 26 steals. 

The team added five newcomers in four freshmen (Lauren Smith, Aminadi Anorve, Katelin Harris & Isabella Vucurevic) and one sophomore (Megan Clarke) that bring multiple Junior Olympic Top 10 finishes along with a CIF Division 3 Champion and multiple CIF First and Second Team selections. 

The Red Foxes finished the 2017 season at 20-14 (11-3 MAAC), which was the program's best overall record since 2013. Marist appeared in the MAAC Tournament for the 14^thconsecutive year and advanced to the Championship game for the fourth straight season.

This season, Marist will play in six tournaments in Hawaii, Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York and Indiana before opening Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play, against opponents that include three 2017 NCAA Tournament participants (Cal, UCLA & Michigan) and the '17 National Runner Up (UCLA). The team will then wrap up its non-conference schedule with a trip to California, before finishing up their conference slate.

MAAC Preseason Coaches Poll:

1.	Wagner (6)	62
2.	Marist (2)	58
3.	Iona	46
4.	VMI	39
5.	Villanova	29
6.	Siena	26
7.	St. Francis-Brooklyn	20
8.	La Salle	8

Preseason All-MAAC Team:

Name	Position	Institution
Hannah Schultz*	Utility	Iona
Britten Vilander	Goalkeeper	Iona
Grace Doerfler	Center	Marist
Dominique Clark	Center	Villanova
Shelby Barkley	Center	VMI
Isabel French	Goalkeeper	VMI
Erica Hardy	Attack	Wagner
Kimberly Watson	Utility	Wagner

*denotes unanimous selection