FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 4, 2013
Warriors receive seven
first-place votes,
picked to win conference regular-season title
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Merrimack College
received seven first-place votes and 96 points overall to take the
top spot in the annual Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey
Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league’s head
coaches.
The Warriors are coming off a 2012 campaign in which they advanced
to the national semifinals and won the Northeast-10 regular-season
title. Ranked fifth nationally in the 2013 National Field Hockey
Coaches Association (NFHCA) Preseason Poll, they also outscored
opponents 78-27 in 21 contests last season.
Bentley University finished second in the voting with 83 points
and one first-place vote, while Long Island University Post, new to
the Northeast-10 as an associate member, finished third with 76
points and one first-place tally. Stonehill College was fourth with
74 points and a pair of first-place votes.
Adelphi University (8-12, 6-4 NE-10) and Assumption College (8-10,
5-5 NE-10) both totaled 62 points to tie for the fifth spot.
For the complete results of the poll, please see below.
Merrimack (17-4, 9-1 NE-10), which has gone 19-1 in conference
regular-season play the last two years combined, gets its season
underway Thursday night (7:00 p.m.) at Bentley. Among the returners
for Merrimack is a pair of 2012 First Team All-Conference
performers in seniors Jessica
Otis and Candace
Waldie. Waldie led the Northeast-10 last year with 61
points on 24 goals and 13 assists.
Bentley (11-8, 8-2 NE-10), ranked eighth in the nation in the
NFHCA poll, advanced to the NCAA Tournament last year but was
ousted by Merrimack in the first round. Back for the Falcons are
two of their top three scorers from last season in junior
Gina Lirange and sophomore
Meghan Talerman, a duo that combined for
32 points.
LIU Post posted a 7-10 overall record last year, including a 3-7
mark in conference play with the Pennsylvania State Athletic
Conference (PSAC). The Pioneers ranked seventh in the NFHCA poll,
in large part because of returning senior Carlee
Dragon and sophomore Keliann
Margiotta. The two combined for 73 points a year
ago.
Stonehill (9-10, 5-5 NE-10), ranked No. 10 in the nation, suffered
a first-round loss to the University of Massachusetts Lowell last
year in Northeast-10 Championship play. The Skyhawks return senior
Devin Ingersoll and sophomore
Erika Kelly, who combined for 20 goals
last season.
Making up the remainder of the poll was Southern Connecticut State University (8-10, 5-5 NE-10) with 41 points, Saint Michael’s College (5-13, 3-7 NE-10) with 33 points, Saint Anselm College (6-12, 3-7 NE-10) with 31 points, American International College (3-15, 2-8 NE-10) with 29 points and Franklin Pierce University (3-14, 1-9 NE-10) with 18 points.
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
Northeast-10 Field Hockey Coaches’ Preseason
Poll
1. Merrimack – 96 (7)
2. Bentley – 83 (1)
3. LIU Post – 76 (1)
4. Stonehill – 74 (2)
T5. Adelphi – 62
T5. Assumption – 62
7. Southern Connecticut – 41
8. Saint Michael’s – 33
9. Saint Anselm – 31
10. American International – 29
11. Franklin Pierce – 18
( ) – indicates first-place votes
– #NE10 –
