Field Hockey Picked Second In Northeast-10 Pre-Season Coaches Poll, Skyhawks Look To Defend Conference Tournament Crown

August 22, 2006

The start of the 2006 Stonehill field hockey season is less than two weeks away, and the Skyhawks will take the field on September 2nd as one of the favorites in the Northeast-10 Conference. Head Coach Pam Arpe's squad is ranked second in the league's pre-season coaches' poll and received three third place votes along the way, as Stonehill is looking to repeat its Northeast-10 tournament title after posting the best season in school history last fall.

The River Hawks of The University of Massachusetts Lowell have been predicted to repeat as the Northeast-10 Regular Season Champions in 2006. The coaches' poll, which is conducted annually prior to the start of the regular season, slotted UMass Lowell to place on top this year for the first time since the team joined league play in 1999.

The River Hawks collected 112 total tallies, five of which were first place nods. In 2005, UMass Lowell enjoyed great success by earning the NE-10 Regular Season title, Co-Tournament Champions and the eventual 2005 NCAA Division II Field Hockey National Championship title. UMass Lowell ended its triumphant campaign with a 20-3 overall record, 15-1 in the Northeast-10.

In addition, the River Hawks become just the third team in the history of this preseason poll to be picked first. Since the Northeast-10's induction of field hockey in 1996, the Falcons of Bentley College have been favorites in every preseason poll except in 2001 when Saint Michael's College garnered the top position.

This year, Bentley and Stonehill College tie for second place in this year's poll, each receiving 108 total points. Stonehill, the 2005 Northeast-10 Co-Tournament Champions, and Bentley also received three bids to finish first in the league in 2006.

Southern Connecticut State University (73) and Merrimack College (69) round out the top five, while Saint Michael's (67), Bryant University (59) and Assumption College (52) garnered sixth, seventh and eighth places respectively.

Rounding out the preseason poll this year were Franklin Pierce College (37), Saint Anselm College (22) and American International College (19).

UMass Lowell claimed its first NCAA Division II Tournament Championship as they were on the winning side of a 2-1 double overtime victory against Bloomsburg University (Pa.) in the National Title game. The River Hawks brought home the first national championship in program history and second national title for a Northeast-10 field hockey team (Bentley 2001).

This year's Northeast-10 tournament opens on November 1 with quarterfinal matches, followed by the NE-10 semifinals on November 4 and the championship on November 5.

The Northeast-10 is one of the largest and is the most diverse NCAA Division II playing conference in the nation. It sponsors 23 championship sports including baseball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's cross country, women's cross country, football, field hockey, men's golf, men's ice hockey, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field, women's outdoor track and field, men's tennis, women's tennis, softball, women's volleyball, men's swimming and diving, and women's swimming and diving.

Full Members of the Northeast-10 include American International College, Assumption College, Bentley College, Bryant University, Franklin Pierce College, Le Moyne College, The University of Massachusetts Lowell, Merrimack College, Pace University, Saint Anselm College, Saint Michael's College, The College of Saint Rose, Southern Connecticut State University, Southern New Hampshire University, and Stonehill College.