Stonehill is the top seed in the North Region after capturing its second Northeast-10 Championship on Saturday. (PHOTO BY Marcello Cutti, Jr./SMI) |
No. 5-ranked Skyhawks earn bye to National Semifinals in Louisville as part of NCAA Division II Fall Festival December 4-6
NCAA II Field Hockey Tournament Announcement
NCAA II Field Hockey Tournament Bracket
NCAA Division II Fall Championships Festival Information
EASTON, Mass. (November 23, 2013) – Northeast-10 Conference Champions Stonehill College, ranked fifth in the most recent Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll, has earned its sixth 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 today.
Stonehill (17-3, 9-2 NE-10) awaits the winner of Tuesday's NCAA first round matchup between second-seeded and No. 4-ranked LIU Post (16-2, 10-1 NE-10) and third-seeded Adelphi University (14-6, 8-3 NE-10) being played in Brookville, New York, at 1 p.m. The Skyhawks, which are making their second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, have earned the fourth trip to the national semifinal round in program history. Stonehill will face Tuesday's winner at Trager Stadium, on the campus of the University of Louisville, as part of the 2014 NCAA Division II Fall Festival. Stonehill will play the second semifinal on Thursday, December 4, at 4 p.m. The national championship will also be played at Trager Stadium on Saturday, December 6, at 1:30 p.m.
Stonehill is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Shelly Morris, who posted her 100th win in her seven seasons at Stonehill with yesterday's 1-0 win over LIU Post in the NE-10 Championship, and has now guided the Skyhawks to the national semifinals three times.
Top-ranked West Chester (Pa.) University (18-2, 13-1 PSAC) earned the top-seed in the South Region and awaits the winner of Tuesday's other first round matchup between third-seeded and No. 3-ranked Shippensburg University (15-4, 11-3 PSAC), the defending national champions, and second-seeded and No. 2-ranked Millersville University (17-3, 12-2 PSAC). West Chester will play the winner in the first national semifinal on December 4 at 1 p.m.
Stonehill has also earned NCAA Tournament bids in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2013 reaching the national semifinals in 2005, 2009 and 2010. The Skyhawks are two wins shy of the single-season program record set with a 19-3 campaign in 2005. Stonehill won its second NE-10 Tournament title with yesterday's win at LIU Post, having also won a regular season championship in 2009 when it went on to serve as host of the NCAA Division II Championships at W.B. Mason Stadium. Stonehill has also been announced as host of the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships.
The Division II National Championships Festival will feature national championships in men's and women's cross country, field hockey, men's and women's soccer and women's volleyball. Bellarmine University and the Louisville Sports Commission will serve as co-hosts for the event. The Division II national championships festivals are the only place in the NCAA where six champions will be crowned in a single event, in one city on one day. The Festival provides an unparalleled opportunity to celebrate the achievements of more than 1,100 DII student-athletes. Stonehill field hockey also reached the Fall Festival in Louisville in 2010 and will be again joined this year by the Skyhawks men's and women's cross country programs who will compete in the NCAA Championship meet on Saturday, December 6, at E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park.
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2014 NCAA Division II
Field Hockey Championship
First Round
Tuesday, November 25
#7 Adelphi (14-6, 8-3 NE-10) at #4 LIU Post (16-3, 10-1 NE-10), 1 p.m.
#3 Shippensburg (15-4, 11-3 PSAC) at #2 Millersville (17-3, 12-2 PSAC), 3 p.m.
Semifinals
Thursday, December 4
Trager Stadium, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.
Shippensburg/Millersville winner vs. #1 West Chester (18-2, 13-1 PSAC), 1 p.m.
Adelphi/LIU Post winner vs. #5 Stonehill (17-3, 9-2 NE-10), 4 p.m.
National Championship
Saturday, December 6
Trager Stadium, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.
Semifinals winners, 1:30 p.m.
