Field Hockey

New Hampshire Highlights #AEFH Preseason Poll and All-Conference Team

BOSTON – After reaching the #AEFH Championship last year, New Hampshire was selected first in the 2025 #AEFH Preseason Poll, and had a league-high four players on the Preseason All-Conference team as announced by the America East on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Wildcats went 10-10 last year, 4-2 in league play, and reached the conference championship as they took home four first place votes and 23 total points. UNH led the league in scoring and ranked sixth national at 3.1 goals per game. 2024 #AEFH Champion Vermont captured the remaining two first place votes and had 22 total points. UAlbany was selected third with 15 points, followed by UMass Lowell (13), Maine (12) and Bryant (5).
 
Two-time Offensive Player of the Year Tasmin Cookman highlighted four UNH players on the Preseason All-Conference team. She is joined by 2024 Rookie of the Year Faye Meijer, Kathelijne Knuttel and Nicole Poulakis. Madison Leeper (UMass Lowell) and Olivia Geniti (Maine) both earned First-Team All-Conference recognition a season ago.
 
Preseason Poll
Pl. School Pts. (1st)
1. New Hampshire 23 (4)
2. Vermont 22 (2)
3. UAlbany 15
4. UMass Lowell 13
5. Maine 12
6. Bryant 5
 
Preseason All-Conference
F Tasmin Cookman (New Hampshire)
M Olivia Geniti (Maine)
M Karlijn Kerkof (UMass Lowell)
F Kathelijne Knuttel (New Hampshire)
D Mara Küskes (UAlbany)
M Sophia Lefranc (Vermont)
F Madison Leeper (UMass Lowell)
M Faye Meijer (New Hampshire)
F Nicole Poulakis (New Hampshire)
F Sophia Schoonmaker (UAlbany)
GK Merle Vaandrager (Vermont)
 
 Need to Know
  • New Hampshire was picked first with four first place votes as the Wildcats look for their first conference title since 2014. UNH was the No. 2 seed in last year’s championship and fell 3-2 to UVM in the title game.
  • UNH’s quartet of Tasmin Cookman, Faye Meijer, Kathelijne Knuttel and Nicole Poulakis combined for 50 goals and 23 assists last season. Cookman and Poulakis have both scored 11+ goals each of the past three years and have combined for over 200 career points.
  • Vermont earned a pair of first place votes after capturing the program’s first league title in 2024. The No. 4 seed took down top seed UAlbany (1-0) and then No. 2 UNH (3-2) on their way to a championship.
  • Last year marked the fifth different #AEFH Champion in a row. Only one top seed has won the title over that span, Maine back in 2021.
  • UAlbany was picked third with 15 points after going 15-4 and 6-0 in league play a season ago, though the Great Danes return zero of their five 2024 All-Conference selections.
  • UMass Lowell was picked fourth with 13 points and returns Madison Leeper, who was tied for third in the league with 13 goals last year. UML earned a share of the 2023 regular season title and tied for third in the league at 3-3 last year.
  • Maine was fifth with 12 points after going 3-3 in league play and tying for third with UMass Lowell and Vermont.
  • Vermont’s Merle Vaandrager earned Preseason All-Conference honors in goal after leading the league in GAA (1.12), save percentage (.789) and shutouts (6) last year.
 
The 2025 season begins on Friday, August 29 with all six teams in action at home. UNH welcomes national powerhouse UConn, while Maine and Vermont host nationally recognized Boston College and UMass. UAlbany welcomes Hofstra, while Bryant faces New Haven and UML battles Merrimack.

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.
 
About the America East:
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
 
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -