Sullivan leads the NE10 in ground balls, draw controls and caused turnovers, ranking among national leaders in all three, while also ranking in the top five among Conference scoring leaders. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Skyhawks, ranked No. 11/14 nationally, receive first regional ranking since 2017
NCAA II Women's Lacrosse Regional Rankings
EASTON, Mass. (April 21, 2022) – Stonehill College, ranked No. 11 in this week's USA Lacrosse Magazine Division II poll and No. 14 in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II poll, is ranked No. 2 in the first NCAA Division II East Regional rankings of the season, the Division II Women's Lacrosse Championships committee announced.
Stonehill (11-2, 9-1 NE10), winners of five-straight, earns its first NCAA Regional rank since the final regular season ranking of the 2017 season when the Skyhawks were ranked No. 8 in the North Region entering the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament. The Skyhawks are ranked second in the region behind only NE10 rival Adelphi University (13-0, 10-0 NE10), who will visit W.B. Mason Stadium for a key Conference showdown on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Panthers are ranked No. 2 in the IWLCA poll and No. 3 by USA Lacrosse Magazine and sit atop the NE10 standings, just a game ahead of Stonehill.
Stonehill and Adelphi are among five NE10 programs out of the six teams ranked in the first regional ranking release of the spring. Following the two NE10 leaders is Le Moyne College in third, Pace University fourth and Southern New Hampshire University in sixth, while East Coast Conference member Mercy College is ranked fifth. Four teams from each of the four regions in Division II women's lacrosse will be selected for the 2022 NCAA Tournament next month.
Stonehill seeks its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance, but its first since 2015. The Skyhawks have captured two NCAA Division II National Championships in its history in 2003, when head coach Katie Conover, '03 was a senior, and 2005.
Rudden leads the NE10 in assists and scoring and is a three-time NE10 Player of the Week (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Stonehill has posted a 5-1 record this spring against teams ranked in the IWLCA Division II poll, starting with a 13-10 triumph over then No. 2 nationally-ranked Le Moyne in the Skyhawks home opener on March 19. The Skyhawks have since added wins over No. 14 Bentley University, No. 21 University of New Haven, No. 25 The College of Saint Rose and No. 12 Pace University, while the lone defeat to a ranked team is an 18-17 setback to then No. 19 Assumption University. Stonehill's only other loss of the season is to a Lynn University program that is now ranked No. 2 in the South Region and No. 9/17 nationally. Saturday's showdown with No. 2/3 and East Region No. 1 Adelphi will mark the Skyhawks second matchup of the year against a team ranked No. 2 in the IWLCA poll.
Stonehill boasts the top-ranked offense in the NE10 and is ranked No. 4 nationally with its 17.85 goals per game, producing a Conference-high 34.5 shots per game. The Skyhawks also lead the NE10 and rank seventh nationally with 8.69 assists per game, ranking fourth in Division II with its NE10-best 18.15 draw controls per game. Stonehill ranks third in the Conference (18th nationally) with 11.23 caused turnovers per game and scoring margin (+6.77), fourth with 18.38 ground balls per game and sixth in scoring defense (11.08).
Stonehill has been led by the duo of senior preseason All-American Emma Sullivan, a five-time NE10 Defensive Player of the Week that has also collected NE10 Player of the Week honors once, and junior Lydia Rudden, the reigning IWLCA Division II Offensive Player of the Week that has also collected NE10 Player of the Week accolades three times this spring, with the duo leading a balanced Skyhawks attack that features five players with 40-plus points and 30 or more goals.
Faley has seen the bulk of work in goal for the Skyhawks this spring and is a two-time NE10 Rookie of the Week. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Rudden is the NE10's leading scorer with 82 points (11th nationally), having dished out an NE10-high 51 assists (third), with 31 goals. Sullivan ranks third to Rudden among NE10 scoring leaders with 60 points, netting 46 goals (2nd NE10) with 14 assists, leading the Conference with 55 ground balls (3rd nationally with 4.23 per game), 105 draw controls (8th – 8.08/gm) and 36 caused turnovers (4th – 2.77/gm). Both have eclipsed the 100-point plateau for their careers this spring, with Sullivan also surpassing 100 career goals.
Sophomore Molly Mae Hughes is the third Skyhawk with over 50 points, totaling 34 goals and 18 assists, while senior Kendall Fressle has added 37 goals and eight assists for 45 points and junior Kayla Conway has tallied 46 points with 36 goals and ten assists.
Freshman Sarah Faley has established herself as Stonehill's every day goalkeeper in her first collegiate season, earning NE10 Rookie of the Week honors twice along the way. She has played all but 90-minutes in the Stonehill goal and ranks seventh in the NE10 with a 10.87 goals against average and .432 save percentage, while averaging 7.31 saves per game (8th NE10) in 690:05 over her 13 games played, with 12 starts.
Stonehill (11-2, 9-1 NE10) returns to action on Saturday, when it continues a four-game homestand to wrap the regular season by hosting No. 2/3 Adelphi for its Hope Happens Here Mental Health Awareness game, while also welcoming back its Alumnae to campus for the contest at 1 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
