US Lacrosse Magazine released the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Women’s Preseason Top 20 on Dec. 17. Team-by-team previews will be unveiled on uslaxmagazine.com through the end of the month and will also appear as part of the magazine’s NCAA preview edition in February.

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No. 17 Florida

2019 Record: 14-7, (5-0 American Athletic Conference)
Coach: Amanda O'Leary (11th year)
Assistants: Taryn Vanthof, Nadine Hadnagy

All-Time Record: 162-43
NCAA Appearances: 9
Final Fours: 1
Championships: 0

2020 Schedule

Save the Date
Feb. 22

Four of Florida’s first five games of the season come against teams ranked in the Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Division I Women's Top 20. Coming right after what’s sure to be a tough road challenge at defending national champion Maryland, this matchup between the Gators and Loyola should show a lot about both teams. In 2019, the No. 16 Greyhounds pulled off the 15-12 upset of then-No. 5 Florida, and the Gators never climbed that high in the polls again.

New Decade, New Year, New Team

By all means, Florida had a solid 2019.

Despite a tough schedule, the Gators spent the whole season in the Top 20, claimed the program’s ninth-straight regular season conference title and sixth-straight conference tournament crown and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

But that season is now in the past, and the ten seniors who helped lead Florida through it are gone and graduated.

So the message for 2020 is clear: New decade, new year, new team.

“I feel like we’re building a whole new identity because we did lose so many seniors that contributed,” coach Amanda O’Leary said. “We’re in the midst of building that — who we are, what we are going to do — and moving forward with it.”

Florida lost seven starters from its group that went 14-7 in 2019. Replacing more than half of a starting lineup is a tall order for any team, but especially so when some of those seniors were also among the most decorated in program history.

Attacker Lindsey Ronbeck accounted for much of the Gators’ offensive production in 2019, leading the team in goals (89) and points (107) and setting numerous program records. On the other end, four-year starting goalie Haley Hicklen was a three-time conference goalie of the year — twice in the Big East and then in the AAC — and finished as the program’s all-time saves leader.

“I don’t think you ever replace those individuals,” O’Leary said. “They’re such a major piece of your program and what they’ve contributed, you can’t really put into words.”

Those shoes are large to fill, but Florida has its share of candidates to fill them. Junior Shannon Kavanagh and senior Brianna Harris combined for 90 goals and 133 draw controls last season, and will return to anchor a midfield that also lost defender Sabrina Cristodero, who had 75 draw controls in 2019 but transferred to Hofstra this summer.

In net, redshirt-freshman Sarah Reznick seems poised for a big year. The Long Beach (N.Y.) native arrived in Gainesville as one of the highest-touted recruits in the country in 2018 and spent last season learning under Hicklen.

“We have a really core group of individuals who have experience, but (we’re) also filtering in some new faces,” O’Leary said. “That’s the exciting piece.”  

Consistency, especially at the start of their schedule, will be key. The slate is front-loaded: In the first six weeks of the schedule, the Gators will face seven teams ranked in the Nike/US Lacrosse Preseason Division I Women's Top 20.

Florida faced a similar stretch in 2019. Over the course of a month, it played six ranked teams, and after dropping close games against Syracuse, North Carolina and Princeton in March, finally picked up a one-goal win over Stony Brook.

After that win over the Seawolves, the Gators did not lose another game until the NCAA Tournament.

“We need to be consistent from start to finish, and this year we’ve set our standards high,” O’Leary said. “The improvement needs to be there. We can’t let a day go by without improving.”

Projected Starters

D – Cara Trombetta – Sr. – 45 GB, 40 CT
D – Emma Wightman – So. – 12 GB, 7 CT
D – Kaitlyn Dabkowski – Jr. – 26 GB, 12 CT
M – Shannon Kavanagh – Jr. – 69 G, 93 DC
M – Brianna Harris – Sr. – 21 G, 22 A
M – Maggie Corbo – So. – 1 G, 4 DC
M – Emily Heller – Fr. – 47 G, 23 A (high school)
M – Shelton Sawers – Fr. – 38 goals, 56 DC (high school)
A – Grace Haus – Jr. – 39 G, 12 A
A – Hannah Mardiney – So. – 8 G, 10 A
A – Kassidy Bresnahan – Jr. – 7 G, 18 GB
G – Sarah Reznick – R-Fr. – 116 SV (high school, 2018)

Tewaaraton Watch
Cara Trombetta, D, Sr.

Trombetta earned a host of accolades for her play during the 2019 season. She was named a member of the AAC's first team, the AAC Defender of the Year and a member of the Tewaaraton Watch List. The Holbrook (N.Y.) native already holds the program’s record for caused turnovers (110) and will anchor a defense that was the AAC’s best in 2019.

X Factor
Sarah Reznick, R-Fr., G

Reznick was one of Florida’s most highly-touted recruits ever when she arrived on campus in the fall of 2018. As a high schooler in Long Beach (N.Y.), she was a six-year varsity starter and earned All-American nods as the top-rated goalkeeper in her class. She redshirted last season, and as she steps into cage as a starter this year, Reznick is set for a breakout campaign.

National Rankings

7

Amanda O’Leary’s hot recruiting streak continued into this season. After landing one of the country’s top classes ahead of the 2019 season, the Gators followed up and brought another Top 10 class to Gainesville. This one ranks seventh, according to Inside Lacrosse. The 13 newcomers O’Leary brought in for 2020 have an impressive pedigree, and after graduating so many seniors, they’ll likely have opportunities to make immediate impact.

Enemy Lines

“They lost some big kids, but they have some tough kids back. They’re always going to be strong, tough, aggressive and go hard right at you. Despite losing those real strong kids, I think they’ll be right back up there.”