Stonehill head coach Robert Talley and the Skyhawks have clinched the program's first winning season since 1996 and are in the thick of the postseason chase. (PHOTO BY Emily Reynolds)

Skyhawks appear in Super Region 1 rankings for first time in program history
Skyhawks move up to fifth in ECAC Lambert Meadowlands poll, still receiving votes in AFCA Division II poll

EASTON, Mass. (October 29, 2013) – Stonehill College is ranked seventh in the first NCAA Division II Super Region 1 rankings of the season released by the NCAA Championships selection committee this evening. The Skyhawks appear in the regional rankings for the first time in program history.

Stonehill (6-2, 6-1 NE-10), among teams receiving votes in the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II poll for the third straight week and fourth time this season overall, moved up one spot to fifth in this week’s Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Lambert Meadowlands poll. The Skyhawks are winners of three straight games for the second time this season and are in a three-way tie for first place in the Northeast-10 Conference standings with American International College (6-2, 6-1 NE-10) and the University of New Haven (6-2, 6-1 NE-10) with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

Stonehill is the lone NE-10 program appearing in the first NCAA Super Region 1 rankings of the year. West Chester (Pa.) University (8-0) is ranked first, Shepherd (W.V.) University (7-0) is ranked second and Bloomsburg (Pa.) University (8-0), who posted a 41-13 victory over Stonehill in week one, is ranked third. Six teams from each of the four regions in NCAA Division II football earn NCAA Tournament bids. If the season ended today, Stonehill would earn the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history by way of “Earned Access” which places any team from a Conference not represented in the top six of the final rankings into the NCAA Championships as long as they are ranked within the top eight.

Stonehill also moved up one spot to No. 5 in the Lambert Meadowlands poll and is one of three NE-10 teams appearing in the third edition of that poll with American International ranked fourth and New Haven seventh. Bloomsburg is ranked first in the poll for the second straight week, while West Chester is ranked second and Slippery Rock (Pa.) University third. California (Pa.) University is tied for fifth in the poll along with the Skyhawks. Stonehill made its first appearance in the Lambert Meadowlands poll in its first week at No. 8 and then moved up to No. 6 last week.

Stonehill hosts Pace University (0-8, 0-7 NE-10) for its Purple & White Game on Senior Day this Saturday at noon. The Skyhawks close out the regular season the following Saturday, November 9, at Merrimack College (5-3, 4-3 NE-10) at 1 p.m. Stonehill would clinch a spot in the NE-10 Championship Game on November 16 by winning out, but there are scenarios that would clinch a berth with just one win over its last two. The Skyhawks could host the Championship with a pair of wins and a New Haven win over American International this Saturday in West Haven, Conn., but a loss would likely eliminate any hope of hosting.

ECAC/Lambert Meadowlands
Division II Poll (#3)

Established in 1936 as the Lambert Trophy to recognize supremacy in Eastern college football, the award has since grown to recognize the best team in the East in the Bowl Subdivision. In 1957, the Lambert Cup was created to recognize non-Division I-A teams, and in 1966 a Division III award was added. In 1983, the Lambert family decided the Meadowlands Sports Complex would be the best organization with a sincere and involved interest in college athletics to sponsor and manage the award, and since that time, the awards have been known as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.

To be eligible for the Lambert Meadowlands Award, a school must be located in the East or play at least half of its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if at least half of their schedule features eligible teams.

Teams in Eastern-based football conferences, regardless of location, qualify if at least half their schedule is against Lambert eligible teams.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market.