CAMBRIDGE, Mass. ? Boston University and University at Albany represent America East in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association Division I Preseason Poll released earlier this week. The Terriers enter 2007 ranked 20th in the nation with 109 points, while the Great Danes received 21 points and are the 29th team in the poll. Boston U. and Albany, who shared the 2006 regular season America East crown, finished one and two, respectively, in the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll.
The Terriers return eight starters to a team which finished last season also ranked 20th in the NFHCA poll. Boston U. won its second consecutive America East Championship and received an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Connecticut. Head Coach Sally Starr’s squad will play seven teams ranked in the national preseason poll, including an October 7 tilt with top-ranked, and defending national champion, University of Maryland in College Park, Md.
The Great Danes’ schedule includes early season clashes with James Madison (ranked 11th), Indiana (15th) and Louisville (14th). Albany finished last season with a 12-7 overall record, including 4-1 in conference play. The league’s Offensive Player of the Year, Michelle Simpson, and Defensive Player of the Year, Arlette Westdorp, will return to the field for the Great Danes.
Maryland received top billing in the poll with 18 first-place votes and 673 points. Fellow Atlantic Coast Conference foes Wake Forest University (623 points), University of North Carolina (573) and Duke University (554) fill the two-four slots. University of Connecticut rounds out the top five.
Boston U. and Albany also appeared in the 2006 national preseason poll. Last season was the first time the organization released a coaches’ poll prior to the first game.
2007 STX/NFHCA Division I Preseason Poll
Institution Points (first place votes in parentheses)
1. University of Maryland 673 (18)
2. Wake Forest University 623 (1)
3. University of North Carolina 573 (14)
4. Duke University 554
5. University of Connecticut 551
6. Old Dominion University 543
7. Penn State University 487 (1)
8. University of Virginia 398 (1)
9. Boston College 317
10. University of Iowa 302
11. James Madison University 284
12. University of Michigan 281
13. Ohio State University 271
14. University of Louisville 235
15. Indiana University 183
16. American University 173
17. Providence College 146
18. Princeton University 119
19. Michigan State University 110
20. Boston University 109
Also Receiving Votes: University of California, Berkeley (95), Northeastern University (49), University of Richmond (44),
College of William & Mary (33), Syracuse University (32), Stanford University (29), Hofstra University (28),
Ohio University (25), University at Albany (21), Villanova University (10), University of Delaware (9),
Rutgers University (9), West Chester University (7), Northwestern University (5), Dartmouth College (4),
Kent State University (4), Bucknell University (3), Miami University (OH) (3), University of Pennsylvania (3),
Cornell University (2), College of the Holy Cross (1), Lock Haven University (1), University of Massachusetts (1).