Women's Lacrosse Enters 2015 with High Expectations

HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker women's lacrosse team will be gearing up for its second season as a program in 2015, but more exciting is the fact it will be in the highly competitive South Atlantic Conference. Interim head coach Chelsea Kent, who was the team's assistant in 2014, is looking forward to the challenge of continuing the growth of the fairly new program.

"I am excited to be at the helm this year," said Kent. "We were the rookie team last year, but that is not how we want to be looked at. We want to compete and make a name for Coker in women's lacrosse."

Coker finished 2014 with a fifth place finish in the SAC, and left the Cobras on the outside looking in at the conference tournament. But a fifth place finish in 2015 will send the team to the postseason.

"The new format plays in our favor," said Kent. "The top six get in this year, with the top two getting byes. Our goal is to compete with everyone and finish in fourth or better. The fifth place finish as a rookie program was motivation for this year."

The Cobras will have their work cut out for them as they were tabbed sixth in the preseason SAC poll. Queens and Lenoir-Rhyne were tabbed the favorites in 2015.

"Preseason polls are all hype," said Kent. "The team this year cannot be compared to the team on the field last year. This year's team has exceeded limits they previously thought were unreachable, they've pushed each other to fight harder than ever before, and they're ready to take the field and prove it."

Coker sports a 19-player roster, which returns 12 players and welcomes seven new faces. Preseason All-SAC first team selections Mackenzie Baker and Kaitlyn Kimball headline the returners. In addition to Kimball, Marabeth Durden and Cassandra Dembik will be key contributors on the defensive end, as the Cobras will rely heavily on pesky defense to lock down opponents. Freshmen duo Haley McCusker and Claudia Jenkins will join Baker in leading the Cobra attack.

"We have some really talented players and I expect a big season," said Kent. "The returners know the expectations I have for them, and the freshmen are quickly learning. Claudia is a beast on the field and Haley has an awesome shot. The pair shows up to every single practice as if it were game-time, which pushes the entire team to do the same."

The journey to the tourney will not be an easy one for the Cobras, but Kent is confident in her team's preparation.

"The level of competition we are facing is just as good, if not better than last season," said Kent. "We want to test ourselves out of conference so we will be prepared for conference play and the conference tournament, and our schedule allows for it."

Coker starts its chase for the tournament on Friday, Feb. 6 at home in a non-conference match against the University of Mount Olive.