MINNEAPOLIS— Hamline University has been selected to win the 2022 Midwest Women's Lacrosse Conference (MWLC) championship according to the preseason poll, voted on by the league's head coaches.

The Pipers received five first-place votes and 25 total points in the preseason poll. Hamline has won the last three regular season championships, and the past four conference tournament championships. The four tournament titles is a league record.

Northwestern was second in the poll with 20 points and received the final first-place vote.

Augsburg was third with 15 points, Wartburg was fourth with 11 points, Cornell was fifth with 10 points, and conference newcomer, Lake Forest, rounded out the poll with nine points. Monmouth will not compete this season.

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 Tournament.

2022 MWLC Preseason Poll
1. Hamline (5), 25 points
2. Northwestern (1), 20 points
3. Augsburg, 15 points
4. Wartburg, 11 points
5. Cornell, 10 points
6. Lake Forest, 9 points

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

Players to Watch (as chosen by the head coach)

Augsburg: Alexa Hoffman, sophomore, defender/midfielder

Cornell: Cecelia "Cece" Zanoni, freshman, attacker

Hamline:  Maria Lewis, fifth-year grad student, midfielder

Lake Forest: Ali Graham, sophomore, midfielder 

Northwestern: Samantha Wiebold, senior, midfielder

Wartburg: Bri Greiskalns, senior, attacker/midfielder

-MWLC-