NORTON, MA- After transforming a start-up program at nearby Roger Williams University into an NCAA Tournament contender in just five seasons, Emily Kiablick looks to improve the fortunes of the Wheaton College women's lacrosse team as she readies for her first season at the helm.

Kiablick, who also coached women's soccer during each of her five years at Rhode Island-based Roger Williams – pushing the Hawks to the 2008 NCAA Tournament – led her lacrosse squad to a 2-12 record in its first season of varsity competition in 2004 before helping it advance all the way to The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament title game in 2008, where it fell by just one goal before finishing up 14-5.

At Wheaton, Kiablick inherits a squad that was 7-10 a year ago and has posted a 3-3 mark in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play each of the past two seasons, falling in a first-round league tournament home game both springs. Since coming aboard in January, Kiablick has begun instilling her own principles, starting by making it abundantly clear that no starting assignment is set in stone despite 16 veterans comprising the 26-player roster.

"The returning players have shown great composure in practice, but the plays and the defenses are all new to them, so it's really going to be about getting the best 12 players on the field for every game and being competitive all season," said Kiablick, a 2001 graduate of NEWMAC counterpart Springfield College. "Because we have a lot of depth, the lineup will likely not be the same game to game, and that's great. It's really up for grabs every day."

Due to Kiablick's desire to run a settled attack but have her players recognize fast-break opportunities, the team's success could hinge upon talent in the midfield, a position where 14 of her 25 field players could eventually appear. "The challenge in the midfield is the offenses can be a little elaborate, and the defenses can demand a lot," said Kiablick, who is joined by first-year assistant coaches Sarah Booker, a four-year player at Division I University of Vermont, and Megan Elston, a former standout high school coach in the Seattle area. "Playing midfield is very physically challenging and, with my expectations, it becomes very mentally challenging as well."

As the coach has become more familiar with her players, Kiablick has witnessed signs of progress. "Sometimes I will say things, and it's very new to them, and they kind of look at me like I have two heads, but then they go out and do it and put forth the effort," said the coach. "A lot of questions are being asked, just in why we're doing something or how to do something, so it shows me that they want to understand the game. I don't want them to just go out and do something because I'm telling them to do it. I want them to go out and do it both because I'm telling them and because they really understand the reasoning."

Kiablick admits she's re-familiarizing herself with league members and that a primary focus this season will be on her own team. "Win or lose, you can't get too emotionally caught up," said Kiablick. "If we win a game and we haven't had a great performance, then that's really nothing to hang our hats on. We have a really challenging schedule and, if we fall short in a game, we need to look at what we've done well. We'll also focus a lot on statistics because of our style of play. That's great if you can score a lot of goals, but if you're fouling a lot or turning the ball over a lot, it kind of eliminates the good."

Key in bridging the gap between former three-year head coach Mary Jacobs, who relinquished her post in January, and Kiablick have been senior captains Bridget Thornton (Southington, CT/Cheshire Academy) and Madeline Williams (Annapolis, MD/Key School), as Williams earned the role for a second season. "They have shown great leadership," said their new coach. "We've had good communication, so they know my expectations, and they're able to reiterate that to the other players on the team."

The duo headlines a four-member senior class. Thornton, who contributed 14 goals and nine assists last year while starting all 17 games, is a midfielder who might see time in the attack, while Williams broke out for 28 goals last season after totaling 24 as an underclassman. She will be situated in the midfield. Attack and occasional midfielder Caitlin Grant (Walpole, MA/Walpole) was also an offensive revelation in 2008, landing an all-conference honor after pacing the squad with 33 goals after netting 27 in her first two springs combined. Abbie Sherwin's (Rye, NH/Portsmouth) tremendous speed will allow her to aid Wheaton's attack, though she could also see time in the midfield, where she made 14 starts last season.

Three defenders hail from the Class of 2010, including Kate Denison (Andover, MA/Andover), who led the team in ground balls while starting all but one game last year. She might see time in the midfield during select contests. Kate Kimball (Lexington, MA/Lexington) returns to the backfield after missing last season due to injury following 14 starts her freshman year, and Cameron McManus (Yarmouth, ME/Yarmouth) provides veteran depth in her second season of college lacrosse.

Junior Brittany King (Georgetown, MA/Proctor Academy) reprises her role in the Wheaton midfield, as she started 31 games while scoring 37 times as an underclassman. In the offensive end, classmate Hanna Landis (Cape Elizabeth, ME/Cape Elizabeth) will primarily be an attack but could see time in the midfield after injuries limited her to six games as a sophomore. Chrissy Norberg (Winchester, MA/Northfield Mount Hermon School) led the squad in caused turnovers as a key defender her freshman year but missed the entire 2008 campaign due to injuries, and the junior returns to the squad in an attacking role.

Among the Lyons' six sophomores is Marianna Marcellino (Milton, MA/Thayer Academy), who became the squad's lone goalkeeper during preseason. After appearing in six games last year, drawing one start, Marcellino has steadily made strides since practices began this spring. "She has stepped up and responded really well to the pressure," said Kiablick, who cited Marcellino's self-motivation as a key to her improvement. "She's really aware of her strengths and weaknesses, and she works really hard at the areas she's weak in every day."

Three sophomores will appear on defense, including Marisa Picariello (Dover, MA/Dover-Sherborn), who made 12 starts there last spring. Rebecca Brewster (Redding, CT/Joel Barlow) and Abigale Magruder (Portsmouth, RI/Portsmouth) are also listed as backfield players, though Magruder has also displayed strong offensive abilities. A midfielder, Tess Meyer (Concord, NH/Concord) made 16 starts as a freshman while pacing the squad in caused turnovers. Emma Doyle (Hamden, CT/Hamden) looks to overcome an injury after netting eight goals in 11 games last year as an attack.

Wheaton's 10-player freshman class will immediately contribute, with first-year Lyons expected to impact the game around both nets. Attacks Hannah Ferris (Rye, NH/Portsmouth), Courtney Gleason (Newtown, CT/Newtown) and Chelsea McLeod (Concord, NH/Concord) will all appear on the offensive end, Alexandra Noyes (Freeport, ME/North Yarmouth Academy) is a defender, and Sydney Ferguson (Jamestown, RI/North Kingstown), Sabrina Fiori (Newton, MA/Beaver Country Day School) and Hannah Knowles (North Kingstown, RI/Rocky Hill School) are all primarily backfield players who could appear in the midfield. Knowles saw action in 16 games as a forward last fall for the Wheaton field hockey squad. Freshmen Katie Powers (Ashburnham, MA/Cushing Academy) and Brittany Whynot (Fountain Hills, AZ/Fountain Hills) will impact the midfield, while Hailey Colburn (Concord, NH/Concord) should help as a midfielder and an attack.

The Lyons kick off their campaign against visiting New England College on March 14 before four squads ranked in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association's (IWLCA) preseason national poll are scattered about the schedule. Wheaton hosts both Amherst College and Tufts University but will travel to Bowdoin College before completing its regular season blotter at league foe Babson College on April 25. The first round of the NEWMAC Tournament occurs four days later, on April 29.

Throughout the season, Kiablick aims to make sure each player knows her given role on the team and understands the coach's expectations. "I want the whole team gelling as a unit and getting closer and more on the same page every day," said Kiablick, "but I also want the players to improve every single day."