LOCAL ROUNDUP: HPU tops women's lacrosse poll

The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·3 min read

Jan. 19—CHARLOTTE — High Point University is the favorite in Big South women's lacrosse again.

The Panthers topped the coaches preseason poll for the ninth time in the 10 years the Big South has sponsored women's lacrosse, receiving nine of the 10 first-place votes and 99 of the 100 possible points. to win the Big South Women's Lacrosse crown in 2022.

The Panthers enter the 2022 campaign as the four-time defending Big South champion with 22 letterwinners and seven starters returning from 2021, led by attacker Abby Hormes, who was selected preseason Offensive Player of the Year..

Hormes was the 2021 Big South Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the first two-time Big South Offensive Player of the Year honoree since the league began sponsoring women's lacrosse in 2013. She finished the 2021 season as the Big South's overall leader in goals with 76 and goals per game (4.22), points with 98 and points per game (5.44), and in the Top 10 in assists (22) and assists per game (1.22). She also ranked in the league's Top 5 in draw controls (49) and draw controls per game (4.39).

The only Big South player who averaged at least 4.0 goals and 5.0 points last season, Hormes was on the Tewaaraton Award Watch List that recognizes the top player in college lacrosse. She tallied 15 hat tricks in 2021.

The four-time Big South Offensive Player of the Week scored 32 goals in her six Big South matches last season (5.33 per game) and scored 43 points against conference foes (7.17). She enters 2022 needing just four goals and 11 points to become the Big South's all-time career leader in both categories.

Hormes received eight first-place votes and 27 total points in this year's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year voting, ahead of Campbell attacker Julianna Sanchez (12 points, one first-place vote) and Mercer attacker Hailey Rhatigan (10 points, one first-place vote).

Janna Kraft, a defender, was the only other Panther to make the preseason All-Conference team.

Mercer, which is competing in Big South women's lacrosse as an associate member along with fellow SoCon schools Fruman and Wofford, was second in the preseason poll with 87 points and received the other first-place vote.

Campbell was third with 82 points. Furman was fourth with 68 points, followed by Winthrop (54). Radford (53), Gardner-Webb (36), Longwood (27, Presbyterian (23) and Wofford (21).

Winthrop defender Kimora Bailey was chosen the preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

GREAT EXUMA, BAHAMAS — High Point native Thomas Walsh battled through a tough first outing as a Korn Ferry Tour regular.

Wash shot 73-78 for 7-over-par 151 and missed the 36-hole cut Tuesday at the Korn Ferry Tour's first event of the season, the Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay. Walsh, who was a standout at Westchester Country Day and won an ACC individual championship at Virginia, gained his Korn Ferry Tour card and eight guaranteed starts through Q-school tournaments that ended in November.

The second and third rounds were completed Tuesday. Corey Shaun shot a third-round 64 and holds a 1-shot lead with a 206 total entering today's final round.

The tour's next event is Jan. 23-26 in Great Abaco, Bahamas.