FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 24, 2016
Defending National Runner-Up Picked to Win NE-10
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Merrimack, the defending national runner-up, has been picked atop the NE-10 Field Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the conference office announced on Wednesday morning.
For complete results of the poll, which is voted upon by the league's head coaches, please see below.
The Warriors, who went 16-6 overall and 9-3 in NE-10 play last season, picked up 141 points and 10 first-place votes. After finishing third in the NE-10 and earning a bid to the NCAA Championship in 2015, Merrimack downed Adelphi and Stonehill to reach the National Championship Game, falling to East Stroudsburg in overtime, 1-0.
Merrimack brings back a large majority of weapons from its 2015 squad. Reigning East Region Coach of the Year Anne Rounce will once again have All-American Mary McNeil leading the charge offensively. McNeil, the 2015 NE-10 Rookie of the Year and a first team all-conference selection, finished tied for second in the NE-10 with 14 goals last season and was third in both assists (11) and points (39). Second team all-conference selections Rylie Hammond and Sarah Sparks also return for Merrimack.
Defending NE-10 Champion Stonehill was second in the poll, garnering 130 points to go along with a pair of votes for first place. The Skyhawks, who went 14-7 (9-3 NE-10) last season, won their second straight NE-10 Championship after defeating Assumption, 2-1, in the conference finals. Leading the way for Stonehill will be first team All-American Sarah Morse, who had three game-winning goals last season.
Adelphi, NE-10 Regular Season Co-Champion last season, took the third spot with 116 points. Last year’s NE-10 Coach of the Years Gloria O’Connor returns two first team all-conference members in Lena Pollich and NE-10 Defensive Player of the Year Rachel Colvin. Saint Anselm was fourth with 100 points, just one point ahead of fifth-place Assumption, which shared the regular season title with Adelphi in 2015.
LIU Post came in at No. 6 with 86 points, followed by Bentley in seventh with 82. American International (56 pts.), Franklin Pierce (54) and Pace (47) concluded the top-10. Rounding out the field were Saint Michael’s (40), Southern New Hampshire (35 – 1 first place) and Southern Connecticut (28).
The 2016 field hockey season officially kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 1. Quarterfinals of the NE-10 Championship are scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 1, while the semifinals are slated for Friday, Nov. 4. The NE-10 finals will take place on Sunday, Nov. 6.
2016 NE-10 Field Hockey Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Merrimack – 141 Pts. (10)
2. Stonehill – 130 (2)
3. Adelphi – 116
4. Saint Anselm – 100
5. Assumption – 99
6. LIU Post – 86
7. Bentley – 82
8. American Int’l – 56
9. Franklin Pierce – 54
10. Pace – 47
11. Saint Michael’s – 40
12. So. New Hampshire – 35 (1)
13. So. Connecticut – 28
(#) – indicates first-place votes
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.