Members of the NE-10 Champion Field Hockey team were on hand for a viewing of the selection show at the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex this afternoon. |
NE-10 Champion Skyhawks receive first round bye for second-straight year, will face Merrimack/Adelphi winner November 20 in Bloomsburg, Pa.
2015 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament Host Website
2015 NCAA Field Hockey Championship Interactive Bracket
NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championship Selection Show
EASTON, Mass. (November 9, 2015) – Northeast-10 Conference Champions Stonehill College, ranked tenth in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, has earned its seventh trip to the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Tournament after receiving the top seed in the North Region and first round bye when the selections were announced by the national committee this afternoon.
Stonehill (14-6, 9-3 NE-10) awaits the winner of Saturday's NCAA first round matchup between second-seeded and No. 6-ranked Merrimack College (14-5, 9-3 NE-10) and third-seeded and 4th-ranked Adelphi University (14-5, 10-2 NE-10) being played in North Andover, Massachusetts, at 6 p.m. The Skyhawks, which are making their third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, has earned the fifth trip to the national semifinal round in program history, earning the bye for the second straight year. Stonehill will face Saturday's East Region first round winner at Steph Pettit Stadium on the campus of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on Friday, November 20, at noon. The national championship will also be played at Pettit Stadium on Sunday, November 22, at 1:30 p.m.
Stonehill is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance under first year head coach Susan Ciufo after guiding the Skyhawks to a second straight Northeast-10 Tournament Championship after its 2-1 triumph over Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Sunday. The Skyhawks have won four straight and seven of their last eight entering the NCAA Tournament. Stonehill will be aiming to make its first appearance in the National Championship game when it heads to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, next week. The Skyhawks fell to LIU Post, 3-2, in last year's national semifinal in Louisville, Kentucky.
Top-ranked East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University (17-3, 9-1 PSAC) earned the top-seed in the Atlantic Region and awaits the winner of Saturday's other first round matchup between third-seeded and No. 5-ranked West Chester (Pa.) University (16-4, 7-3 PSAC) and second-seeded and No. 2-ranked Millersville University (18-2, 9-1 PSAC), the defending national champions.
Stonehill has also earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014 reaching the national semifinals in 2005, 2009, 2010 and 2014. Stonehill has been announced as host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships which will be held at W.B. Mason Stadium next year.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook.
2015 NCAA Division II
Field Hockey Championship
First Round
Saturday, November 14
#4 Adelphi (14-5, 10-2 NE-10) at #6 Merrimack (14-5, 9-3 NE-10), 6 p.m.
#5 West Chester (16-4, 7-3 PSAC) at #2 Millersville (18-2, 9-1 PSAC), Noon
Semifinals
Friday, November 20
Hosted by Bloomsburg University
Steph Pettit Stadium, Bloomsburg, Pa.
Adelphi/Merrimack winner vs. #10 Stonehill (14-6, 9-3 NE-10), Noon
West Chester/Millersville vs. #1 East Stroudsburg (17-3, 9-1 PSAC), 3 p.m.
National Championship
Sunday, November 22
Hosted by Bloomsburg University
Steph Pettit Stadium, Bloomsburg, Pa.
Semifinals winners, 1:30 p.m.