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August 23, 2012

Defending Northeast-10 Champion
River Hawks receive seven first-place votes

SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Lowell took the top spot in the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league’s head coaches.

The River Hawks (19-4, 9-1 NE-10), after advancing to the national championship game a year ago, received 97 points and seven first-place tallies in the voting. Last season, they claimed their seventh Northeast-10 Championship in a nine-year span.

UMass Lowell has also been ranked third nationally according to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Preseason Poll and was one of three Northeast-10 teams to appear on the list.

Merrimack College (17-3, 10-0 NE-10) finished second in the poll with 93 points while claiming the other four first-place votes. The Warriors took home the Northeast-10 regular season crown last season and also advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

Merrimack, which was ranked fifth in the NFCHA Preseason Poll, will travel to UMass Lowell on October 16 (7:00 p.m.).

Bentley University (9-9, 6-4 NE-10) narrowly ousted Stonehill College (10-10, 4-6 NE-10) for third place in the voting, finishing with 74 points to the Skyhawks’ 73 points. Bentley was also ranked 10th in the NFHCA poll.

American International College (12-9, 6-4 NE-10) finished in fifth place with 55 points a year removed from its second NCAA appearance in as many years.

Rounding out the poll was Adelphi University (6-12, 3-7 NE-10) with 51 points, Franklin Pierce University (10-9, 7-3 NE-10) with 47 points, Saint Anselm College (6-12, 4-6 NE-10) and Saint Michael’s College (4-14, 3-7 NE-10) with 35 points apiece, Southern Connecticut State University (5-13, 2-8 NE-10) with 32 points, and Assumption College (1-14, 1-9 NE-10) with 13 points.

To see the complete poll results, please see below.

The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 16 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. 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.

2012 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Coaches Poll
1. UMass Lowell – 97 (7)
2. Merrimack – 93 (4)
3. Bentley – 74
4. Stonehill – 73
5. American International – 55
6. Adelphi – 51
7. Franklin Pierce – 47
T8. Saint Anselm – 35
T8. Saint Michael’s – 35
10. Southern Connecticut – 32
11. Assumption – 13

( ) - first-place votes in parentheses

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