Chrissy Adair does not have an easy job.

The new Glenelg Country girls’ lacrosse coach is taking over for Paige Walton, who coached the Dragons for 24 seasons and won five Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland titles. But Adair and the Dragons are ready for it all. Her ascension was planned: Walton brought her in last season as an assistant head coach with the eventual takeover in mind.

Adair, who grew up near the Dragons’ Ellicott City campus and went to Mount Hebron, was a three-time All-American at Boston College. She coached at George Washington for three seasons and was twice named Atlantic 10 Conference coach of the year. She stepped away from coaching to start a family but came back to the club circuit and, eventually, to Glenelg Country.

“I probably mimic my coaching after my play,” she said. “I was an aggressive midfielder, competitive. ... At this level, a lot of the girls come in with the basics already, and now we can kind of work more on strategy.”

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Adair also has pieces to work with. The Dragons lost nine seniors from last year’s team, including first and second-team All-Met honorees Blair and Regan Byrne. But goalie Natalie Eastwood and midfielders Maggie Flanagan and Lilly Fortin form the core of the No. 3 team in the The Washington Post’s preseason rankings.

(All records from last season)

1

Good Counsel (16-5)

Senior midfielder Hannah Rudolph ended the past two years as the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference player of the year and a conference champion. There’s no reason to believe she won’t finish the three-peats.

2

Spalding (12-5)

The Cavaliers bring back three All-Met honorees — Gabrielle Greene, Maeve Cavanaugh and Maddie Wrenn — and should contend in the perennially loaded IAAM.

3

Glenelg Country (14-4)

Adair leads a squad that lost in the IAAM A conference semifinal to eventual champion McDonogh.

4

Georgetown Visitation (14-9)

New coach Jude Collins takes over a talented squad led by sisters Madison and Mackenzie Rassas.

6

Broadneck (15-5)

The Bruins are trying to win their fourth straight Maryland Class 4A crown with a roster led by senior attacker Olivia Orso, who received All-Met honorable mention last year.

7

Severna Park (17-3)

Senior attacker Alyssa Gore-Chung returns after scoring a single-season program record 75 goals for last year’s Maryland Class 3A champs.

8

Glenelg (14-3)

The Gladiators hope midfielder Kamryn Henson, goalie Emily Altshuler and defender Lara Hoeflich — all seniors — can help them improve upon last season’s loss in a region final.

9

St. John’s (12-5)

The Cadets made the WCAC semifinals last year and hope to challenge Good Counsel.

10

Yorktown (9-10)

The Patriots won the 2022 Virginia Class 6 state championship but were rebuilding last year. The season was well-spent: Coach Jenny Tran now boasts a deep roster with senior attacker Libby LaPierre, junior midfielders Helene Lydon and Coco Rigoli and junior goalkeeper Victoria Carcillo.

On the bubble: Dominion, Madison, Paul VI, St. Mary’s, St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes

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