BALTIMORE -- The University of Delaware women’s lacrosse team, which returns its top six scorers from a team that went 11-6 and advanced to the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals a year ago, has been picked No. 20 in the Inside Lacrosse Pre-Season Top 20 Media Poll announced this week.

Delaware, which will open its 2008 season next Thursday, Feb. 28, at home vs. Rutgers, received nine points in the voting and was among two Colonial Athletic Association teams mentioned, joining No. 15 James Madison.

The poll, one of two major polls released each week during the season, will be announced each Monday during the spring. Delaware did not receive votes in the pre-season Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Association poll, which picked Rutgers at No. 20.

Three-time defending national champion Northwestern was the unanimous pre-season favorite in the Inside Lacrosse poll, gaining 100 points and all five first place votes.

Virginia was ranked No. 2 with 95 points followed by Maryland (85), North Carolina (80), Syracuse (79), Duke (77), Pennsylvania (77), Princeton (64), Notre Dame (54), and Yale (52) in the top 10.

Penn State (43) and Johns Hopkins (43) were tied at No. 11 followed by Georgetown (35), Dartmouth (34), James Madison (32), Vanderbilt (28), Denver (23), Boston University (17), Richmond (15), and Delaware (9). Rutgers, Ohio State, and Mt. St. Mary’s also earned votes.

Delaware, which was picked No. 2 in the pre-season CAA poll announced earlier this month, will be looking to advance to the CAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons this spring and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2000.

Fourth-year head coach Kim Ciarrocca welcomes back 10 starters and the top six scorers from last year’s squad that averaged 12.6 goals per game and had five players score 30 or more goals.

Leading the way is sophomore Nicole Flego, the team’s leading scorer as a freshman in 2007 with 36 goals and 22 assists. Seniors Katie Muth and Casey McCrudden scored 37 and 33 goals respectively, junior Debbie Sloan (at right) tallied 36 goals, and sophomore Courtney Aburn scored 36 times. Flego, Muth, and Sloan all earned all-region honors a year ago.