(32) EFFECT OF PRESEASON CONDITIONING ON FIELD BASED VO2MAX ESTIMATION IN COLLEGIATE DIVISION III WOMEN’S LACROSSE PLAYERS

Preseason is an essential component of sport preparation in the collegiate setting, with intense training allowing for improvements in performance and fitness for the upcoming competitive season. While the benefits of preseason training on performance variables like maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max) have been reported in men’s sports, less is known on women’s sports such as lacrosse, especially at lower collegiate levels. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine team and position group estimated VO2max differences using the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test Level 1 (YYIR1) following a three-week preseason training period on a NCAA Division III women’s lacrosse team.  Methods: Data from 17 Division III women’s lacrosse athletes (Attack [A] = 6; Midfield [M] = 5; Defense [D] = 6) were used for analysis. All athletes completed the YYIR1 on the first day of the preseason following a 10-minute dynamic warmup, under the guidance of a trained exercise professional. Athletes then completed three weeks of preseason conditioning and practice with their coaching staff in compliance with NCAA regulations. On the last day of preseason, all athletes repeated the YYIR1, under the guidance of the same trained professional. Player performance on the YYIR1s was then used to estimate VO2max for pre and post preseason trials. A paired samples t-test was run to determine team difference in estimated VO2max for the two time points. Additionally, players were separated by position group and VO2max differences were analyzed via Wilcoxon signed-rank tests due to small sample sizes. Significance was set at p ≤ 0.05, and all data is presented as means ± SD or median ± IQR. Results: VO2max was significantly greater for the whole team following the preseason period (41.62 ± 1.54 ml/kg/min) compared to before preseason (40.35 ± 0.82 ml/kg/min) [t(16) = -4.18, p < 0.01; Effect Size [ES] = -1.01]. When separated by position groups, no significant differences were noted for A (Pre: 39.95 ± 0.82, Post: 40.40 ± 1.28 ml/kg/min; Z = -2.02, p = 0.06, ES = -1.00), M (Pre: 41.10 ± 1.70, Post: 43.10 ± 1.40 ml/kg/min; Z = -2.02, p = 0.06, ES = -1.00), or D (Pre: 40.25 ± 0.30, Post: 40.40 ± 0.30 ml/kg/min; Z = -1.46, p = 0.20, ES = -0.80) between time points. Conclusions: Statistically significant improvements were noted in estimated VO2max following preseason training. However, the minimal overall practical improvement (~3%) and lack of significant improvements within position groups, suggests that three weeks of preseason training is not enough time or volume to promote notable cardiovascular improvement in Division III collegiate women’s lacrosse players. Practical Applications: These findings provide insight on the cardiovascular fitness of NCAA Division III collegiate women’s lacrosse players. Furthermore, these results provide more insight on the limited practical nature of a brief preseason conditioning and training period on improving cardiovascular performance in female collegiate athletes. Strength and conditioning professionals and coaches may want to emphasize to players the importance of year-round training and conditioning to maintain or improve athletic performance in sports that require higher VO2max contributions from players to be successful. These findings suggest that three weeks of preseason training is not enough time or stimulus to allow athletes to train their way into playing shape leading up to the competitive season.

Acknowledgements: None