Mary Washington was once again picked as the unanimous preseason favorite to win the CAC title in 2015-16 in a preseason vote among the conference head coaches. UMW will look to continue its record streak this season, as the Eagles strive for their 26^th consecutive CAC women’s swimming title during the 2015-16 campaign.

UMW won 16 of 18 events to run away with last year’s championship, becoming the only team across all CAC sports to have won the team title in each of the 25 years of the CAC’s existence.

A wealth of accomplished returners are back for the Eagles this year, including CAC Athletes of the Year Stephanie Hallock (2015) and Abby Cox (2014), along with 2015 Rookie of the Year Megan Murphy.

The Eagles totaled 5 first-place votes and 25 points to take the top spot in the poll, while St. Mary’s received the other first-place vote and took second with 18 points. Salisbury and Marymount tied for third with 15 points each, followed by York (10 points) and Frostburg State (7 points).

The race for second place in the conference has historically been a tight one, and judging by this season’s preseason voting, the CAC meet could produce another close finish this winter. Last year’s championship featured one of the closest second-through-fourth place finishes ever, as just 59 points separated Marymount (492), St. Mary’s (469), and Salisbury (433).

The 2015-16 season opens this weekend as Mary Washington hosts Washington & Lee on Saturday and travels to Catholic on Sunday. All six CAC squads begin their seasons over the next few weeks, with each squad jumping into action in the month of October.

The 2016 CAC Championship meet is set for Feb. 19-21 at St. Mary’s.

Here is a brief look at each team heading into the 2015-16 season:

Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, third-year FROSTBURG STATE head coach Justin Anderson is certain his squad will be nothing less than impressive in 2015-16. The Bobcats return school-record holder sophomore Macey Nitchie, who currently holds school records in five events. Joining Nitchie are two newcomers, Maddie Weinberger and Emily Turner whose times are on pace to set more records for the Bobcats and be top-contenders at the CAC Championships. Frostburg State is poised to see more records fall and have a big impact in the CAC Championships this season.

MARY WASHINGTON opens the season with great optimism, coming off its 25th straight Capital Athletic Conference title. A large group of successful returnees include CAC Swimmers of the Year Stephanie Hallock ('15) and Abby Cox ('14), as well as top conference finishers Anna Corley, Megan Murphy, Katie Fago, and Shannon Coryell. A talented group of newcomers will bolster the Eagles' times and provide depth as the team seeks title #26.

MARYMOUNT head coach Mike Clark returns a majority of the team’s All-Capital Athletic Conference performers from the 2014-15 campaign.  Morgan Alston, Taylor Hood, Hannah Del Signore, Jessica Hester, Marisol Rivera and Kristen Kilroy will return after leading the Saints last year in points at the league championships – guiding the Saints to a second-place finish overall, one of the best in program history.

The record-setting duo of senior All-CAC performers Cara Machlin and Zoe McIlmail are back this season to lead the charge for ST. MARY’S. The Seahawks posted a 12-3 (4-1 CAC) overall record last year for the fourth 10-win season in the last five years. Machlin, McIlmail, and the rest of the 14-person roster look to maintain their stature as one of the conference's top teams.

SALISBURY comes into the 2015-16 season looking to build on a fourth-place finish at the CAC championships a year ago. Of 36 individual first-place finishes a season ago, the team returns the swimmers responsible for 34 of them. Second-team All-CAC performer Victoria Radcliffe returns for her junior year after a sophomore season that saw her grab 14 first-place finishes and only once finish below the top-three spots. In the CAC swimming championship a year ago, Radcliffe broke a 14-year school record en route to second place in the 200-yard freestyle. Other returners coach Jill Stephenson will rely on heavily this season are senior Nicki Schult, junior Nikky Marders, and sophomore Bizu Baldinazzo. That trio combined for 12 first-place finishes a season ago and along with Radcliffe made up the 400-yard medley relay team that nearly broke the school record at the CAC swimming championships a season ago.

YORK enters the 2015-16 season with high expectations as the Spartans young core continues to improve and set themselves up for a great season. The youthful Spartan line up features just one senior, Madison Tonkay, and three juniors. The Spartans will be carried by a talented sophomore class as the second year swimmers will be the backbone of the squad. Sophomores Kacey Banks, Brianna Blackwell, Kate McConaghy, Taylor Witte, and Samantha Hay are five swimmers who should earn quality points for York. The Spartans also have a very good freshmen class and those swimmers will be expected to contribute to the Spartan efforts this winter.