Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
#14/11 Virginia Tech
Women's Lacrosse Opens 2019 at No. 14/11 Virginia Tech
2/4/2019 7:55:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Bucknell (0-0, 0-0 Patriot League) vs. No. 14/11 Virginia Tech (0-0, 0-0 ACC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 9 – 1 p.m.
Where: Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility – Blacksburg, Va.
Internet Video: ACC Network Extra ($)
Live Stats: HokieSports.com
Follow on Twitter: @Bucknell_WLAX
Bucknell at a Glance
• In 2018, Bucknell went 3-13 (1-8 Patriot League). The Bison, who placed ninth in the Patriot League a year ago, were picked to finish in the same spot in 2019, as voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors in the preseason poll.
• Bucknell qualified for back-to-back Patriot League Tournaments for the second time in program history in 2016 and 2017. The Bison were young and inexperienced a year ago, having lost three of their top five point producers and their two All-Patriot League honorees from 2017. Half of their Patriot League losses in 2018 came by three goals or fewer.
• Bucknell's captains are Callie DeWitt, Jamisen DeWitt, Sarah Dohler and Audrey Walsh. All four are first-time captains and will lead a young team featuring 21 underclassmen.
• Jamisen DeWitt was recognized on the 2019 Preseason All-Patriot League Team. A 2018 All-Patriot League Second Team honoree who has started 50 of the Bison's past 51 games in net, she enters her senior campaign with 419 career stops, good for eighth in the Bucknell annals. She is also slotted in a tie for seventh in career ground balls (120).
• The Bison return their top four leading scorers from a year ago in Eve Calabria (19g-14a), Morgan Steinhacker (18g), Walsh (14g-3a) and Lillie Hunt (8g-8a).
• Walsh, who battled injuries throughout the 2018 campaign, previously led the team in scoring as a sophomore in 2017. That year, she racked up 46 points (26g-20a).
• Bucknell is scheduled to host seven games at Graham Field in 2019, with their home opener against Hofstra slated for Sunday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m.
• Remington Steele enters his second year at the helm of the Bison women's lacrosse team in 2019. He has two new assistant coaches: Princess Livingston Zabel, formerly the head coach at Central Connecticut State, and Taylor Sindall, who spent the past two seasons at Goucher College and is an alumna of Steele's alma mater: Limestone College.
No. 14/11 Virginia Tech at a Glance
• The Hokies are celebrating their 25th season of lacrosse in 2019.
• Virginia Tech was ranked 11th in the first Inside Lacrosse poll, and 14th in the first IWLCA poll, of the seasona.
• In 2018, the Hokies went 14-7 (5-2 ACC), setting school records in both overall and ACC victories. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in their 24-year history, where they topped Georgetown (13-10) in the round of 16 before falling to second-seeded North Carolina (8-17).
• Virginia Tech placed four student-athletes on the 2018 All-ACC First Team, tying ACC champion Boston College for the league high. It was the first time more than one Hokie captured All-ACC First Team accolades. Of that group, only midfielder Paige Petty returns in 2019.
• The Hokies' game against the Bison is their 2019 opener. The teams will play inside in the Beamer-Lawson Indoor Practice Facility.
• This will be the fifth meeting between Bucknell and Virginia Tech. The Hokies won the previous four contests, which took place in 1998 (18-3), 2004 (13-7), 2005 (16-6) and 2006 (6-5 OT).
• Virginia Tech is Bucknell's first ACC opponent since the 2012 campaign. That season, the Bison met Duke in their opener, ceding a 25-3 decision. The Blue Devils were ranked fifth nationally at the time and were coming off a berth in the NCAA Final Four.
Career Milestone Watch
• Jamisen DeWitt: Needs 11 ground balls to move to sixth in Bucknell's history with 131
• Jamisen DeWitt: Needs 49 saves to move to seventh in Bucknell's history with 468
• Jamisen DeWitt: Needs 81 saves to become the seventh Bison with at least 500
• Audrey Walsh: Needs 14 assists to crack Bucknell's top 10 with 42
A Look Ahead
• The Bison welcome Hofstra to Graham Field for their home opener on Saturday, Feb. 16. The opening draw is set for 11 a.m.
Season Preview
Now in his second year at the helm of the Bucknell women's lacrosse program, Remington Steele is looking for his team to take a step forward during the 2019 campaign."We want to continue building the culture we're trying to build and keep growing as a team," Steele said. "We have a lot of young players, and we want to get them some experience. We'll lean on our junior and senior classes to help mentor and guide those younger players through the process."
The Bison were young and inexperienced a year ago, having lost three of their top five point producers and their two All-Patriot League honorees from 2017. While Steele was disappointed that they failed to reach the Patriot League Tournament for the third-consecutive year, which would have been a program first, he said that his players showed marked growth over the course of 2018. The adversity they faced, including four losses by three or fewer goals in league action, made them stronger and hungrier entering this season.
"We want to improve on last year and continue to grow as a program," Steele said. "We grew a lot last year, and everyone on the team is more confident in their roles. We want to make the Patriot League Tournament and do as well as we can from that point forward."
Steele is confident that senior Audrey Walsh and sophomore Eve Calabria will give the Bison a solid one-two punch at attack. Now healthy after enduring an injury-plagued 2018 campaign, Walsh is poised to once again lead the Bucknell offense.
"Audrey is almost back to where she was when she was completely healthy," said Steele of Walsh, who paced the Bison with 46 points (26g-20a) as a sophomore in 2017. "She's a great quarterback for our offense. She has high lacrosse IQ, which helps her read the game and put herself in a position to make plays. She can create shots and score off feeds, and that makes her dangerous."
With Walsh battling injuries, Calabria stepped up as a freshman. A year ago, she led Bucknell in every major offensive category, tallying 33 points on 19 goals and 14 assists. The only Bison to surpass the 20-point threshold and reach the double digits in assists, she recorded at least one point in Bucknell's final 12 games. Her best outing came at Lafayette, where she notched a team season-best six points on four goals and two assists. And Steele believes the best is yet to come.
"Eve has such a blue-collar, hard-nosed mentality," Steele said. "She's a physical dodger who's not afraid to take contact to get to the goal. She can finish under pressure, and she's already scored some big goals for us. This off-season, she's worked really hard to become a more complete player. She's becoming better as a feeder and more of a threat off ball. She's also more dynamic, and we're excited to see what her sophomore year brings."
Beyond Walsh and Calabria, Steele expects juniors Lillie Hunt and Tegan Warren to make an impact at attack. As sophomores in 2018, the duo stepped into the Bison rotation for the first time. And each showed flashes of promise, with Hunt netting four goals at Lafayette and Warren recording five points (3g-2a) at American.
"We're hoping each of them has a breakout junior year," Steele said. "Lillie is such a dynamic player behind the goal. She has so many weapons she can use. Tegan is a great shooter. She moves really well off ball and is a big threat on the inside."
Despite the loss of two-year captain Mary Margaret Kenney to graduation, Bucknell remains deep and talented at midfield. Five juniors are expected to lead the way in Sarah Dohler, Morgan Steinhacker, Sophia Klaber, Tace Sutherland and Kate Fiore.
Of the bunch, Steinhacker and Sutherland are projected to be the biggest offensive threats. Steinhacker, who finished second on the team with 18 goals a year ago, has impressed Steele with her skilled play and strong leadership.
"Morgan is a great on-field leader," Steele said. "Her teammates look to her to make things happen on the field, and she almost always delivers. She's also such a great skill player. She's both a solid defender and a proven goal scorer, and we're excited to see what she'll accomplish this year."
Steele believes Sutherland, like Hunt and Warren, is poised to enjoy a breakout year. During the off-season, he said that she's shown she can generate offense; he also noted that she's become a better defender.
"Tace does a great job of creating shots on offense and putting the ball in the back of the net," Steele said. "Now, she's become a dependable two-way midfielder, and she's ready to take on a bigger role this year."
Dohler, who was voted one of the Bison's captains, and Fiore are both known for their gritty play. While neither have filled the stat sheet during their time at Bucknell, Steele said that he can always count on them to make the "hustle plays" and do the "dirty work" that set up their teammates for success.
Klaber is one of the Bison's top defensive midfielders. Instrumental in their transition game, Steele praised her for her decision making and consistency.
"Sophia is a smart player," Steele said. "She's incredibly fast and athletic. She moves the ball so well in transition. Even though she doesn't score a lot of goals, she's such a key part of our team because she always makes the right play."
As a sophomore in 2018, Jessie Britton seized a starting role on Bucknell's new-look defense. One of only three Bison to start all 16 games, she finished second on the team in caused turnovers (20) while pacing all defenders in ground balls (34). For her efforts, she was selected as Bucknell's Unsung Hero, but Steele believes that she won't be unsung any longer.
"Jessie is going to be huge impact player for us," Steele said. "She's very good on ball and off ball. She gets a lot of knock downs and wins a lot of loose balls. She consistently makes 50-50 plays when we need her to. She's smart with the ball in transition and reads the play well. We're very excited for her to continue growing as a player."
Senior Callie DeWitt will also be key to the Bison's defensive success. Formerly a defensive midfielder, she shifted back to defense a year ago. There, she made an immediate impact because of her tenacity and aggressive play, finishing the year with 27 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers.
"Over the course of last season, she settled into her new role on defense," Steele said. "She's become a great leader out there. She's a very aggressive player, and she's proven she can keep our opponents' best attackers in check."
In net, senior Jamisen DeWitt will be "the backbone of the team," according to Steele. DeWitt, who has started 50 of Bucknell's 51 games over the past three campaigns, became the first Bison goalie since 2011 to capture All-Patriot League honors a year ago after leading the league in saves per game (10.75). Based on that performance, she was the lone Bison named to the 2019 Preseason All-Patriot League Team.
"Jamie always rises to the occasion," Steele said. "We can always count on her to step up when we need her to. She's obviously had a great career here, and a lot of our success this season is going to depend on how she plays."
DeWitt wrapped up 2018 with a career-best 172 saves, a total 16 outside of the Bucknell's single-season top 10. She reached the double digits in saves in 10 games, topping out at a career-high 17 at Boston University. Her total of 419 career saves is good for eighth in the Bison annals; this year, she'll attempt to become the seventh Bison to stop at least 500 shots in her career.
While Steele, a former undersized collegiate goalie himself, noted that DeWitt "sees the ball exceptionally well," he said that her success can mostly be contributed to her relentless work ethic and attention to even the smallest of details.
"Jamie works really hard," Steele said of the 5-foot-3 DeWitt. "She's always doing extra work. She's always staying after practice to run individual drills. She's always watching film. Even though she's had such a great career here, she still works on so many of the basic things—she works on her positioning, her angles and her movement in the crease every single day. Her attention to detail and her work ethic has helped her to be so successful despite her not being the prototypical size for a goaltender."
Steele put together a challenging schedule to prime his young team, which features 21 underclassmen, for Patriot League play. Highlights of Bucknell's non-conference schedule include its season-opener at Virginia Tech and its California road swing in mid-March.
"Opening up against Virginia Tech, a top-20 team out of the ACC, will be a great opportunity to see where we're at as a program," Steele said. "If we can hang in and compete with Virginia Tech, we can compete with anyone in the country. We're also going out to San Diego during spring break to wrap up non-conference play, and that will be a great opportunity for us to get out to the west coast and play some teams we don't normally get to play."
Steele knows that the Bison will have their work cut out for them in the always competitive Patriot League, which features two regular NCAA Tournament participants in Navy and Loyola. While they missed out on last year's Patriot League Tournament, Steele believes that they have a chance to reach the 2019 edition if they keep improving every day.
"Obviously, the Patriot League is really competitive," Steele said. "Everyone in the league can pretty much beat anyone else at any time. The games are always tight and competitive. Navy and Loyola are top-10, top-20 teams in the country and have had success in the NCAA Tournament. Playing them every year makes everyone else better. We're excited to play some of the best teams in the country because it only helps us get better."
