WAUKESHA, WI --  Concordia (Wis.) was picked to win the 2016 Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) title according to the preseason coaches' poll released Wednesday.

The Falcons (13-7, 7-0 MWLC) placed first in the poll with 78 points, including seven first place votes. Concordia won the MWLC title last spring and ended its season with a 19-13 loss to Augustana in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Aurora (11-7, 6-1 MWLC) finished second in the poll with 72 points and two first place votes, while newcomer Augsburg (7-8) finished third with 68 points and the final first place vote.  The Spartans fell to CUW in the MWLC tournament championship, while the Auggies finished 6-1 against current conference members as an independent team last spring.

Beloit (9-8, 5-2 MWLC) placed fourth in the poll, earning a total of 57 points, while Illinois Tech (5-11, 3-4 MWLC) claimed the fifth spot (45 points).

Benedictine (4-13, 3-4 MWLC) was sixth with 37 points and was followed by Wartburg (4-12, 3-4 MWLC) (34), Loras (4-12, 1-6 MWLC) (28) and Cornell College (1-14, 0-7 MWLC) (19).

Concordia-Chicago (12 points) rounds out the preseason poll in its first season of varsity competition.

The 2016 season opens on February 20.  The MWLC portion of the schedule will begin on February 21 with the MWLC Tournament slated for May 6-7.

2016 MWLC Coaches' Preseason Poll