Senior Amy Toegemann leads the Skyhawks into the NCAA Tournament for the fourth-straight year. (PHOTO BY Bert Lane) |
Fifth-seeded Skyhawks will face fourth-seeded Concordia (N.Y.) in opening match on Monday
EASTON, Mass. (April 24, 2012) – Stonehill College has earned a berth in the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships and will host one of the two East Regional brackets next week the NCAA selection committee announced tonight. The Skyhawks claimed the fifth seed in the East Region and will host matches on Monday and Tuesday, April 30 and May 1 at Charles Watt Tennis Courts.
Stonehill (15-5, 12-1 NE-10), who earned a share of the Northeast-10 Conference regular season championship, earns its fourth-straight NCAA Tournament bid and seventh in program history overall. The Skyhawks will serve as host of one of two East Regional events and will open against fourth-seeded Concordia (N.Y.) College (10-1, 8-0 CACC), who captured the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament championships last fall, in a first round match on Monday, April 30, at 11 a.m. The Clippers have not played a match since March 25 when they dropped a 6-3 decision to NCAA Atlantic Regional participant Indiana (Pa.) University.
The winner will advance to face top-seeded Queens (N.Y.) College (17-1, 6-0 ECC), regular season and tournament champions of the East Coast Conference on Tuesday, May 1, at 11 a.m. The winner of the three team regional will advance to the NCAA Championships being held in conjunction with the NCAA Spring Championships Festival in Louisville, Ky., from May 16-19.
The second East Regional bracket will be hosted at second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University (18-5, 12-1 NE-10), and also includes third-seeded University of District of Columbia (15-3, 5-1 ECC), sixth-seeded Adelphi University (16-4, 12-1 NE-10) and seventh-seeded Chestnut Hill College (19-6, 7-1 CACC) April 28 and 29.
Stonehill defeated Goldey-Beacom College 5-3 in last year's East Regional opener before falling to Queens 5-1 in the second round. The Skyhawks won their first-ever East Regional title in 2009, advancing to the Round of 16 with a 5-4 win over Queens.
Stonehill, under the direction of head coach Pam Arpe in her eighth season, is led by seniors Bacall Brooks (York, Maine/St. Thomas Aquinas), Sarah Hickey (Lee, Mass./Lee) and Amy Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School), who have been part of four-straight NCAA Tournament bids, four-straight NE-10 tournament championship appearances and were freshmen on the 2009 squad that won the NE-10 regular season and tournament crowns before reaching the NCAA Division II Tournament's "Sweet 16." The Skyhawks have gone a combined 74-17 (.813), including a 48-3 (.941) mark in NE-10 regular season matches, over their career.
2012 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis East Region #1
Hosted by Stonehill College
Monday, April 30
#5 Stonehill vs. #4 Concordia (N.Y.), 11 a.m.
Tuesday, May 1
#1 Queens (N.Y.) vs. #5 Stonehill/#4 Concordia, 11 a.m.
