Hamline University has been picked to win the Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference championship according to the preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches. 

The Pipers finished a game back of first last year with a 9-2 record in conference play (15-5 overall) and earned a berth to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament with the MWLC Tournament title.

Hamline received seven of the 12 first-place votes and 114 total points in the preseason poll. 

The defending co-champions, Concordia University Wisconsin and Illinois Institute of Technology, were second and third in the poll with 109 and 106 points, respectively, with three top nods for the Falcons and two for the Scarlet Hawks.

Augsburg University and Aurora University tied for fourth with 88 points, Beloit College sixth with 64 and Benedictine University seventh with 63.

Wartburg College was eighth with 49 points, Loras College ninth with 38 and Concordia University Chicago 10th with 30.

Monmouth College and Cornell College rounded out the final two spots in the poll with 24 and 19 points.

The MWLC's regular season standings determine the teams that qualify for the four-team conference tournament, while the tournament champion receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA III Championship Tournament.

2018 MWLC Preseason Poll
1. Hamline (7), 114
2. Concordia Wisconsin (3), 109
3. Illinois Tech (2), 106
4. Augsburg 88
   Aurora, 88
6. Beloit, 64
7. Benedictine, 63
8. Wartburg, 49
9. Loras, 38
10. Concordia Chicago, 30
11. Monmouth, 24
12. Cornell, 19 

First-place votes in parentheses
Voted by the conference's head coaches, who could not vote for their own team
11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 point scale used