BOSTON – UAlbany field hockey claimed the top spot in the #AEFH Preseason Poll for the second straight year, while the league also revealed its inaugural #AEFH Preseason All-Conference Team on Wednesday afternoon.
The Great Danes totaled 34 points and four first place votes after sharing the regular season title with a 7-1 conference mark last year. UMass Lowell was selected second with 29 points and two first place votes after claiming a share of their first league crown with a 7-1 #AEFH mark. New Hampshire was third with 24 points, while Maine secure the final first place vote and 23 points. Vermont (20), Bryant (11) and UC Davis (6) rounded out the rest of the poll.
UAlbany had three players named Preseason All-Conference, highlighted by two-time #AEFH Midfielder of the Year Alison Smisdom. New Hampshire also had three players selected, including #AEFH Offensive Player of the year Tasmin Cookman. 2023 #AEFH Defender of the Year Alissia de Vries is one of two Preseason All-Conference selections for UMass Lowell.
Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| Pl. |
School |
Pts. (1st) |
| 1. |
UAlbany |
34 (4) |
| 2. |
UMass Lowell |
29 (2) |
| 3. |
New Hampshire |
24 |
| 4. |
Maine |
23 (1) |
| 5. |
Vermont |
20 |
| 6. |
Bryant |
11 |
| 7. |
UC Davis |
6 |
Preseason All-Conference
M Tamera Cookman (New Hampshire)
F Tasmin Cookman (New Hampshire)
M Floor de Ruiter (UAlbany)
B Alissia de Vries (UMass Lowell)
M Sophia Drees (Vermont)
B Poppy Lambert (Maine)
M Sophia Lefranc (Vermont)
F Madison Leeper (UMass Lowell)
F Nicole Poulakis (New Hampshire)
M Alison Smisdom (UAlbany)
GK Lara Behn (UAlbany)
Need to Know:
- UAlbany fell to California in overtime of the 2023 #AEFH Championship and has reached the title game each of the past three years. The Great Danes are 19-5 in #AEFH action the last three years also earned a share of the 2023 Regular Season Title. They also finished 2023 with a league-best RPI of 17.
- Two-Time #AEFH Midfielder of the Year & First-Team All-American Alison Smisdom returns for her senior season after leading the Great Danes and the league with 53 goals and 23 goals. Floor de Ruiter and Lara Behn were also Preseason All-Conference honorees for UAlbany after earning All-Conference honors last year.
- UMass Lowell earned a share of its first #AEFH regular season title last year and secured the top overall seed in the conference tournament with a 7-1 #AEFH record. The River Hawks concluded the year with an RPI of 22.
- Alissia de Vries earned Preseason All-Conference honors after being named the 2023 #AEFH Defender of the Year and a Third-Team All-America. She is joined on the team by 2023 First-Team All-Conference selection Madison Leeper.
- UNH finished 6-2 last season and returns all three of its 2023 First-Team All-Conference selections in Tasmin Cookman, Tamera Cookman and Nicole Poulakis. Tasmin was a 2023 Second-Team All-American
- Maine took home the final first place vote and had 23 total points. Poppy Lambert returns for a fifth season and was the 2022 #AEFH Defender of the Year after leading the Black Bears to a perfect 8-0 regular season mark.
- Vermont was fifth in the poll and had a pair of Preseason All-Conference selections. Sophia Drees and Sophia Lefranc were both Second-Team All-Conference honorees in 2023.
The 2024 season gets underway on Friday, August 30 with six teams in action. Maine faces the toughest test of the weekend, going up against 2023 National Runner-Up Northwestern. UAlbany, meanwhile faces Ohio State, which concluded the year ranked 12th.
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.
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