Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

RICHMOND, Va. -- The University of Delaware women’s lacrosse team was picked third in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll released Wednesday. Defending CAA women’s lacrosse champion Towson is the preseason favorite to win the conference title again in 2010 according to a vote of the league’s head coaches.

Towson received six first-place votes and 47 points in the poll, while William and Mary picked up the other two first-place votes and was second with 43 points. Delaware finished third with 34 points and was followed by Hofstra, James Madison, Old Dominion, George Mason and Drexel.

Delaware, last year’s runner-up at the CAA Championship, will attempt to capture its first-ever CAA Championship in 2010. The Blue Hens will be led by senior Courtney Aburn and Emily Schaknowski. Aburn currently ranks second all-time at Delaware with 87 draw controls and Schaknowski (at right) led the team with 20 goals and 13 assists to gain second team All-CAA honors last season.

Head coach Kim Ciarrocca who enters her sixth and final season at Delaware, returns six starters and 13 letterwinners while adding 10 new faces to the squad. The Blue Hens finished 10-8 overall and 5-2 in conference action a year ago.

Towson, which returns 10 starters from last year’s 13-6 squad that captured its third CAA championship in the past four years, will be led by senior preseason player of the year favorite, Hillary Fratzke. William & Mary returns nine starters from last year’s 10-7 squad that won the CAA regular-season title and ranked in the top-20 in national polls, while Hofstra finished fifth in the conference standings last season, but will be back looking for its first title since 2007.

2010 CAA Women’s Lacrosse Preseason Poll: 1. Towson (6) - 47 points, 2. William & Mary (2) - 43 points, 3. Delaware - 34 points, 4. Hofstra - 32 points, 5. James Madison - 26 points, 6. Old Dominion - 16 points, 7. George Mason - 14 points, 8. Drexel - 12 points.

*(#) – indites first-place votes