The Tusculum College Women's lacrosse team made an immediate impact in its first season as a varsity program in 2015, earning a third-place finish in the South Atlantic Conference and winning more games than any other Division II first-year program.

Head coach Jenna Handshoe, the 2015 SAC Coach of the Year, will welcome back nine starters from last year's squad, which finished 10-5 overall and went 5-3 in the conference. The Pioneers averaged 13.0 goals per game in conference contests to rank fourth in the league, and held seven of its 12 opponents to less than 10 goals.

The Pioneers open up their 2016 season on Saturday when they host Erskine College at Pioneer Field, part of a 16-game schedule that culminates with the South Atlantic Conference Tournament in late April in Charlotte.

ATTACK
Senior Kelsey Crow was named first-team All-SAC last season as she finished tied for second in the conference with 54 goals last season and ranked fifth with 66 points. The Franklin, Tennessee native was fourth on the team with 20 draw controls and fifth with 13 caused turnovers, and scored at least one goal in all 15 matches for the Pioneers.

Senior Cheyenne Bray was a second-team All-SAC selection in 2015 as she tied for 10th in the SAC with 41 goals and was tied for seventh in the conference with 17 assists for a total of 58 points, which placed her second on the team to Crow and was good for a tie for eighth place in the league. The Collierville, Tennessee native had a team-high 60 draw controls (tied for 7th in the SAC) and scored a team-high five game-winning goals.

Sophomore Savannah Elliott ranked third on the team in goals last season with 24 and finished fifth on the squad with 27 points. Elliott, who hails from Oshawa, Ontario, had eight multiple-goal games for the Pioneers during the 2015 season.

Several newcomers will provide depth at the attack for the Pioneers, including sophomore Alycea Ohl (Corning, N.Y.), a transfer from Monroe Community College where she had nine goals and eight assists for 17 points last season. Also joining the program are freshmen Brooke Hardy (Cumming, Ga.), Sierra Haas (Canton, Ga.) and Hayley Bartlett (Peterborough, Ontario).

MIDFIELD
Sophomore Madison Malone was an honorable mention All-SAC pick as she finished third on the team with 49 points on the strength of 21 goals and 28 assists. She registered a point in 14 of the Pioneers' 15 games, and scored four goals in wins over Chowan and Newberry. The native of Maple Grove, Minnesota was second on the team with 55 ground balls and led the team with 25 caused turnovers.

Sophomore Erin Sims was fourth on the squad last season with 33 points, after finishing the year with 22 goals and 11 assists. The Trussville, Alabama native ranked third on the team with 32 ground balls and was also third in caused turnovers with 15. Sims recorded at least one goal in 14 of the Pioneers' 15 games, and finished the season with five consecutive two-goal games.

The third starter back in the midfield for the Pioneers is junior Calyn Kelly, who tied for fifth on the team with 25 points after registering 16 goals and nine assists. The product of Ellenwood, Georgia reached the scoresheet in 13 of the Pioneers' 15 games and had a streak of nine consecutive contests with at least one goal. Kelly also led the team with 57 ground balls and ranked second in both draw controls (33) and caused turnovers (20).

Sophomore Rachel Del Duca (New Providence, N.J.) posted 12 goals and 13 assists for 25 points last season while collecting 29 ground balls. Del Duca, who started eight of the Pioneers' 15 games, also had 18 draw controls and 14 caused turnovers during her rookie season at Tusculum.

Freshmen Rachel Holmes (Norcross, Ga.) and Claire Stanton (Fruita, Colo.) will look to break into the lineup for the Pioneers during their rookie seasons in orange and black.

DEFENSE
Two sophomores who are returning starters will key the Pioneer defense in Shelby Gray and Christen Craig, along with junior Kaitlin Winnie.

Gray (Belews Creek, N.C.) made 10 starts last season and scored a goal against Lincoln Memorial, while collecting 21 ground balls and making four caused turnovers. Craig (Birmingham, Ala.) started 13 times and also had a goal in the Lincoln Memorial game, while finishing the season with 16 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.

Winnie was a defender and goalkeeper for the Pioneers last season. She registered nine ground balls and had four caused turnovers, and also finished with a 4-1 record with a 9.37 goals against average in seven starts. The Accord, N.Y. product will remain as the third-string keeper but will continue to be a key part of the Pioneer defense.

Senior Coneisha Waugh (Ajax, Ontario) appeared in nine matches, making a pair of starts, and picked up five ground balls while causing four turnovers. Joining her are several newcomers, including senior Antoinette Allen (Mississauga, Ontario) who is a three-year member of the Women's soccer team and freshman Jordan Smith (Ball Ground, Ga.).

GOALKEEPERS
Sophomore Brooke Wagner was named honorable mention All-South Atlantic Conference after leading the conference in save percentage at .456. Wagner finished the year with a 6-4 record and an 11.83 goals against average while playing in all 15 matches, and came up with 103 saves in goal. Wagner had a season-high 17 saves in a 23-11 win over Chowan, and made 15 stops in a 16-11 win over Wingate.

Freshman Kaele Lawless (Odessa, Fla.) was a two-time all-conference selection in high school and will give the Pioneers much-needed depth in the cage.

SCHEDULE
The Pioneers open their 16-game schedule with six non-conference contests, including home games against Erskine, Shorter (Feb. 13) and Regis (Feb. 29). The Pioneers play their SAC opener at Brevard on March 5, and host Newberry in their first league home contest of the season on March 12.

Tusculum closes out its nine-game home schedule on April 19 against Lees-McRae, and finishes the regular season on the road April 23 at Wingate. The SAC Tournament begins April 26 on campus sites and concludes with the semifinals and finals on April 29-30 in Charlotte.