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Jan. 16, 2008 AMHERST, Mass.- With the spring season almost underway, the Atlantic 10 coaches have decided who they think will win the division and how the 2008 season will progress. Women's rowing is ranked No. 1 once again after winning their 12th straight Atlantic 10 title last year under head coach Jim Dietz. Rhode Island is also picked to finish first in the conference with Saint Joseph's following closely behind. After going undefeated in conference play and winning their 19th Atlantic 10 Title, the UMass Softball team are undoubtedly ranked first in the preseason poll. Fordham, who UMass defeated three times last year, as well as once on their way to winning the A10 Tournament, is picked to finish second. While Saint Louis, a team that lost during the championship A10 game is picked to finish third. Also among the top contenders is Women's lacrosse who was picked to finish second in the A10 behind last year's Atlantic 10 champion, Richmond. The Minutewomen finished fifth in the conference last year with an overall record of 8-9 and a conference record of 3-4 and will host the Atlantic 10 Tournament this year. Baseball looks to improve upon last year's season finish of 22-25 (13-14 Atlantic 10), but are picked to finish ninth in the conference. Picked to finish in the top three in baseball include last year's champion Charlotte, Richmond, and Xavier. Men's and Women's Track are ranked sixth and tenth respectively in the preseason polls. The men's team finished last year in eighth place while the women's team finished in tenth. Picked to come in first for the men, Rhode Island, the A10 Champion in 2007, and Charlotte. The Charlotte women's team was also picked to top the league in 2008. UMass is set to host the A10 Tournament in the spring. The women's tennis team looks to improve on last years fourth place finish but was picked to place fourth in 2008 in the preseason polls. The Minutewomen once again look to face three Atlantic 10 teams during their regular season schedule after going 2-1 against Atlantic 10 opponents during last year's regular season schedule. The 2008 Atlantic 10 Championships are set to take place from April 4-May 24 this year. Men's Tennis Women's Tennis Women's Rowing Women's Lacrosse Men's Golf M/W Outdoor Track & Field Softball Baseball |
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