Stonehill Picked Third in NE-10 Preseason Poll

Skyhawks look to build on strong first season under Morris

Stonehill seniors (l-r) Ashey March, Jackie Ladino, Claire Hourihan and Stephanie Kott look to make their final collegiate season memorable after being picked third in the NE-10 preseason coaches poll released today. PHOTO BY Robert Klein.

NE-10 Release

EASTON, Mass. (August 20, 2009) - Stonehill College has been picked to finish in third place according to the 2009 Northeast-10 Conference field hockey coaches' preseason poll released by the Conference office today.

Senior All-American Jackie Ladino heads the list of returnees for Stonehill after posting 12 goals and ten assists for 34 points.

Stonehill, which is entering its second season under head coach Shelly Morris, received three first place and 105 points as the top three teams in the preseason ranking are separated by just two points. Defending NE-10 regular season champion University of Massachusetts Lowell, national runners-up in Division II last fall, earned the top spot with six first place votes and 107 points, while NE-10 Tournament champion and NCAA Final Four participant Bentley University took the remaining two first place votes and 106 points for second.

Stonehill finished tied for third in the NE-10 standings in Morris' first season at the helm last fall with a 13-8 record overall, 12-6 in Conference play. Of the Skyhawks eight losses in 2008, seven were by just one goal - four of which came in overtime. Stonehill posted a 3-2 overtime victory over fifth-seeded Saint Michael's College in the opening round of the NE-10 Tournament before being edged by top-seeded UMass Lowell 3-2 in the semifinals.

Stonehill returns 13 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's squad. Heading the list of returnees are senior All-American Jackie Ladino (North Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) and classmate Claire Hourihan (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North), a second team All-Northeast-10 pick, who combined to score 32 of the Skyhawks 62 goals last season. Ladino enters her final collegiate season ranked second on Stonehill's career assist list with 30 and seventh all-time with 68 career points. Hourihan enters her final season ranked third all-time at the College with 29 career goals and fourth with 74 career points after netting a program-record 20 goals in 2008.

Senior Claire Hourihan returns after setting program records with 20 goals and 48 points in 2008.

Also returning are junior Lauren Gifford (Goffstown, N.H./Goffstown), a second team All-NE-10 selection, in midfield and sophomore Kathryn Nelson (Shrewsbury, Mass./Shrewsbury), a member of the NE-10's inaugural All-Rookie team last fall. Junior goalkeeper Courtney Osier (South Dennis, Mass./Dennis-Yarmouth) returns after starting 19 of the Skyhawks 21 games last season, posting a 1.36 goals against average (3^rd NE-10) and .748 save percentage (5^th) with four shutouts (3^rd).

Joining Ladino and Hourihan as captains for Stonehill this season is fellow senior Ashley March (Schewnksville, Pa./Spring-Ford), who will head up a defensive unit which finished third in the NE-10 last fall with a 1.31 team goals against average and fifth with five shutouts.

Stonehill opens its 2009 season next weekend when it heads to Pennsylvania for a pair of games against East Stroudsburg University (Saturday, August 29) and defending NCAA Division II Champions Bloomsburg University (Sunday, August 30). The Skyhawks first home game is Saturday, September 5, when it hosts Franklin Pierce for a non-conference clash at W.B. Mason Stadium at 1 p.m.