SAINT LEO, Fla. – The No. 17 Saint Leo Lions promise an exciting new decade of women's lacrosse. With third-year head coach Caitlin Hansen at the helm, the Green and Gold have enjoyed back-to-back record-setting seasons. Hansen and the Lions recorded a historic 13-0 run to set the program's best season start in 2019. In the past two seasons, Hansen has led Saint Leo to a .705 win percentage going 24-10. Six Lions have been awarded All-Sunshine State Conference honors under Hansen's guidance including the team's first-ever All-SSC First Team selections and an All-South Region Second Team selection in the form of Ashley Salvett.
 
To open the new year, Saint Leo was named No. 17 among the US Lacrosse Magazine's Nike/US Division II Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll following a 13-4 2019 finish, going 2-4 in the SSC. The national nod is the program's first-ever appearance in a top-20 preseason poll. The Sunshine State Conference had three other programs represented in the Top-20 list; No. 6 Tampa, No. 8 Rollins, and No. 9 Florida Southern. The SSC is scheduled to release the conference's coaches' preseason poll on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
 
The Saint Leo Lions are slated for 17 regular-season games featuring eight home at University Turf Stadium, eight games on the road, and one neutral site meeting. The year will start with a home opener hosting a conference foe, the No. 8 Rollins Tars, in a non-conference contest.

Saint Leo will end the year with seven-straight conference games. The Green and Gold will be tested on the road at No. 9 Florida Southern on Tuesday, March 24. The Lions look to Wednesday, April 1 in their conference home opener, under the lights against No. 6 Tampa.
 
Hansen returns 17 veterans including senior attacker Janee DeLuca, starting midfielder Delaney Chrisco, decorated defender Ashley Salvett, and starting goalkeeper Erin Davis. In addition to the returning experience in every position on the field, 11 true freshmen and four transfers will put on the Green and Gold for the first time.
 
Before opening the season, Saint Leo will face its own Alumni on Saturday, Jan. 18 starting at 11 a.m.
 
For more information on the Saint Leo women's lacrosse program, visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.