BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Campbell's Julianna Sanchez, Sam Bischoff and Rebekah Taylor have all been named Preseason All-Big South, while the Camels have been voted third in the conference's preseason poll.

High Point, winner of the last four league championships, topped the preseason poll, garnering nine of the 10 first place votes and 99 total points, while Big South newcomer Mercer was picked second (87 points), picking up the remaining first place nod. The Camels followed in a nearby third with 82 points.

Furman (68), Winthrop (54), Radford (53), Gardner-Webb (36), Longwood (27), Presbyterian College (23) and Wofford (21) rounded out the poll.

HPU attacker Abby Hormes was named Big South Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, while Winthrop defender Kimora Bailey was tabbed Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honoree.

Campbell led the 13-member Big South Preseason Team with three selections.

Sanchez was a First Team All-Big South performer in 2021, her first full season on the field for the Camels. Earning Big South weekly honors three times last season, the Annapolis, Md. native tallied a school single season record 138 draw controls, ranking second in Big South history, adding a team-high 45 points with 39 goals, six assists, 21 ground balls and four caused turnovers.

The attacker ended the season ranking fifth nationally in draw controls, scoring multiple goals 12 times, recording 10 or more draw controls seven times. Sanchez also ended the year with six straight hat tricks, scoring 23 points over that span.

Bischoff was also a First Team All-Big South honoree as a true freshman in 2021, registering 39 points on 32 goals and seven assists, 14 ground balls, nine caused turnovers and 12 draw controls on the year, while starting all 15 games for the Camels.

A midfielder from Pomona, N.Y., Bischoff tallied a point in every game of the 2021 season, recording seven hat tricks and leading the team with 22 unassisted goals. Bischoff was named Big South Defensive Player of the Week on April 20.

Another returning First Team All-Big South member, Taylor totaled a team-high 18 caused turnovers last season to go along with 25 ground balls. The defender from Forest Hill, Md. caused a turnover in 10 of CU's 15 games on the year.

Also a Big South All-Tournament team honoree, Taylor was named Big South Defensive Player of the Week (3/16) after causing three turnovers with two ground balls in a 15-5 win over Radford, helping limit the Highlanders to just five goals, tying a season-low allowed for the Camels.

The Camels finished the 2021 season at 8-7 overall and 5-1 in Big South play, finishing the regular season with wins in five of its final six outings, earning the No. 2 seed in the Big South tournament and matching their highest seeding in program history (2017).

In addition to Campbell's 10 school records set in 2021, seven Camels, another program record, were named All-Big South.

The Camels will open the 2022 season on the road at Stetson on February 12.

2022 WOMEN'S LACROSSE PRESEASON POLL
Rk. Team (first-place votes), Points
1. High Point (9), 99
2. Mercer (1), 87
3. Campbell, 82
4. Furman, 68
5. Winthrop, 54
6. Radford, 53
7. Gardner-Webb, 36
8. Longwood, 27
9. Presbyterian College, 23
10. Wofford, 21
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 10 points, followed by 9 points for second-place, and so on.

PRESEASON ALL-BIG SOUTH TEAM
ATT: Abby Hormes, High Point
ATT: Julianna Sanchez, Campbell
ATT: Hailey Rhatigan, Mercer
MF: Sam Bischoff, Campbell
MF: Hannah Dintino, Furman
MF: Alyssa Angelo, Winthrop
D: Kimora Bailey, Winthrop
D: Rebekah Taylor, Campbell
D: Jenna Kraft, High Point
GK: Isea Cryne, Mercer
AL: Abby Edmisten, MF, Presbyterian College
AL: Heather Lobas, D, Gardner-Webb
AL: Meagan Beal, ATT, Furman

PRESEASON OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Abby Hormes, ATT, Gr., High Point

PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kimora Bailey, D, R-Soph., Winthrop