BOSTON – There was no doubt about who was picked first in the 2023 America East Field Hockey Preseason Poll, as UAlbany took all eight possible first place votes it could earn to secure the top spot. The poll was released on Thursday afternoon and was voted upon by the league’s head coaches.
The 2022 conference champions finished with 64 points as the unanimous favorite, while last year’s regular season champion and 2021 tournament champion Maine was second with 51 points. Stanford was close behind with 50 points. New Hampshire (38) and UMass Lowell (33) rounded out the top five, with the River Hawks taking home the final first place vote.
Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| Pl. |
School |
Points (1st) |
| 1. |
UAlbany |
64 (8) |
| 2. |
Maine |
51 |
| 3. |
Stanford |
50 |
| 4. |
New Hampshire |
38 |
| 5. |
UMass Lowell |
33 (1) |
| 6. |
Vermont |
32 |
| 7. |
California |
31 |
| 8. |
UC Davis |
15 |
| 9. |
Bryant |
10 |
What to Watch For:
- UAlbany claimed its first championship since 2018 behind First-Team All-American Alison Smisdom. She returns after leading the team in scoring, alongside a pair of All-Region honorees in goalkeeper Hannah Mangan and midfielder Floor de Ruiter.
- Maine will be anchored in 2023 by Defensive Player of the Year Poppy Lambert, who finished fifth in the nation with 22 goals.
- Stanford made a run to the #AEFH championship game behind forward Haley Mossmer who scored four times in the tournament and the impressive goalkeeping duo of Daisy Ford and Kendall Dowd, all of whom are back in 2023.
- New Hampshire returns its top four scorers from a season ago, led by conference Rookie of the Year Tasmin Cookman, who finished the season with 16 goals and 11 assists.
- UMass Lowell, Vermont and California were separated by just two points in the preseason poll and last season those their postseason fate came down to the final day of the regular season.
The season begins on Friday, Aug. 25 with eight teams in action on Friday and Bryant opening its season one day later. UAlbany highlights the first day of action with a home game against UMass, while Maine welcomes Boston College, Stanford hosts Maryland and California faces Miami (OH). This season features 36-game conference slate with each team playing every other once begins on Sunday, Sept. 17 and concludes on Sunday, Oct. 29. Full schedule
The 2023 #AEFH championship will consist of the league’s top six teams in the standings at the conclusion of the regular season and will be hosted by the top-seeded program that resides on the east coast Nov. 2-5.
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEFH contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEGameday Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East field hockey news all season long and use #AEFH to join the conversation.
America East field hockey has a storied history of success with 31 #AEFH student-athletes having been named All-Americans over the past eight seasons, dating back to when UAlbany great Paula Heuser was named National Player of the Year. The conference has totaled 16 NCAA tournament wins all time with three squads reaching the Final Four, including UAlbany in 2014.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
– Building the Complete Student-Athlete –