FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 27, 2013
Merrimack ranked fifth, LIU Post,
Bentley, Stonehill also crack top-10 list
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Four Northeast-10 Conference schools have been ranked among the top 10 teams in the country in the 2013 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association of America (NFHCA) Division II Preseason Poll, which was released Tuesday morning.
Merrimack College came in at No. 5 in the poll and was the top team from the North Region.
Long Island University Post, which is entering its first year as an associate member in the Northeast-10, appeared at No. 7 in the poll, while Bentley University and Stonehill College ranked eighth and 10th, respectively.
Merrimack, coming off a 17-3 season and the Northeast-10 regular-season title, advanced to the national semifinals last year before falling to former conference rival University of Massachusetts Lowell. The Warriors return a pair of 2012 Northeast-10 First Team All-Conference selections in seniors Jessica Otis and Candace Waldie (pictured), as Waldie led the conference last year with 61 points on 24 goals and 13 assists.
LIU Post went 7-10 last season and returns its two leading scorers from the 2012 campaign in senior Carlee Dragon and sophomore Keliann Margiotta, who combined for 73 points a year ago. Head coach Raenee Savin and her Pioneers will make their 2013 Northeast-10 debut on Wednesday, September 11 at American International College.
Bentley was one of three Northeast-10 teams selected to the 2012 NCAA Championship, but fell to Merrimack, 3-2, in a first-round contest. The Falcons, who went 11-8 overall and 8-2 in conference play lasyt season, will return junior Gina Lirange and sophomore Meghan Talerman, a tandem that combined for 32 points last fall.
Stonehill received one first-place vote in the NFHCA preseason poll following a 9-10 campaign last year, which ended with a Northeast-10 Championship First Round loss to UMass Lowell. The Skyhawks return two of their three goal scorers from last season in senior Devin Ingersoll (12 goals) and sophomore Erika Kelly (8).
The 2013 Northeast-10 Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Preseason Poll will be released next week on Wednesday, Sept. 4, a day before Merrimack travels to Bentley in a non-conference contest to kick off the regular season.
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 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 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.
2013 Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II Preseason Poll
1. West Chester University - 158 (14)
2. Shippensburg University - 135
3. Bloomsburg University - 111
4. Millersville University - 110 (1)
5. Merrimack College - 73
6. Indiana University (Pa.) - 71
7. LIU Post - 50
8. Bentley University - 43
9. East Stroudsburg University - 41
10. Stonehill College - 35 (1)
( ) – indicates first-place votes
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