Feb. 21, 2002

Edison, NJ---Three members of the Red Fox women's lacrosse team were named to the 2002 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women's Lacrosse Preseason Team, it was announced by the conference office this afternoon. Attacker Molly Hanley (Simsbury, Conn.), and defensive players Lauren O'Keefe (West Chester, PA) and Alison Reilley (Syracuse, NY) were among the 12 players chosen to the team.

Marist was picked to finish third out of the seven teams in the league, tallying 35 points in the 2002 MAAC Coaches Poll. Defending league champion Fairfield was chosen first (45 points), just four points ahead of second-place Niagara (41 points). The Red Foxes finished ahead of Manhattan (28 points), LeMoyne (24 points), Canisius (15 points) and Siena (8 points).

Hanley is the top returning scorer for the Red Foxes with 29 points, having scored 20 goals and added nine assists during the 2001 season. She also contributed with 17 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. O'Keefe returns off her rookie season having played in all 13 regular season games, with eight starts. Last season she had 10 draw controls, 27 ground balls and 20 caused turnovers. Playing in the midfield and defense, Reilley returns having led last year's team in ground balls with 53, and is the top Red Fox returner in the draw controls category with 16.

The season opens for the Red Foxes on the road with match-ups with Howard, George Washington, Central Connecticut and Rutgers. Non-conference play resumes in Marist's home opener against Quinnipiac on March 20th, and continues with matches against Sacred Heart and Wagner. Conference play begins back on the road, as the Red Foxes take on Le Moyne on April 7th, with the league home opener against Manhattan on April 10th. The 2002 MAAC Championships will be hosted by defending league champion Fairfield University, May 4th-5th.

The Red Foxes' first match with Howard University is set for Saturday, March 2nd. The lacrosse action is set to begin at 1:00 p.m.