UConn, ODU and Liberty Earn NFHCA Preseason Top 25 Rankings
CHANDLER, Ariz. - With the 2017 field hockey season opening this weekend, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and Penn Monto released the Preseason Poll on Tuesday with three BIG EAST teams ranked in the top 25. Reigning BIG EAST champion and conference preseason favorite Connecticut ranked in the top five, while Old Dominion and Liberty came in at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively.
Leading the way for the BIG EAST, the No. 4 Huskies garnered 993 points and four first-place votes in the first poll of the year. UConn only trails No. 1 North Carolina with 1,137 points, No. 2 Duke with 1,081 points and No. 3 Delaware with 1,003 points. Overall, UConn will face 12 top 25 teams in 2017, beginning with No.13 Stanford in its season opener on Friday.
In 2016, UConn went 18-1 in the regular season and collected its 16th BIG EAST Championship title. The Huskies finished 22-2 overall, after falling to North Carolina in the NCAA Final Four.
No. 23 Old Dominion earned 151 points. In 2017, the Monarchs are set to match up against eight nationally ranked teams. ODU went 7-10 in 2016.
In a tie for the No. 25 spot with Pacific, the Liberty Flames earned 107 points and will square off against nine teams ranked in the top 25 this season, including five of the top six teams. In their first season in the BIG EAST, the Flames finished with an 8-10 record.
For a full listing of the top-25 teams and release, click here: http://bit.ly/2g3e0dV
Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Preseason Poll – August 22
Institution - Points (First-Place Votes)
1. North Carolina - 1,137 (14)
2. Duke - 1,081 (15)
3. Delaware - 1,003 (7)
4. Connecticut - 993 (4)
5. Syracuse - 978
6. Maryland - 949 (3)
7. Penn State - 879 (1)
8. Princeton - 808 (2)
9. Louisville - 760 (1)
10. Virginia - 746 (1)
11. Michigan - 673
12. Boston College - 666
13. Stanford - 617
14. Northwestern - 613
15. Wake Forest - 457
16. Boston University - 443
17. Iowa - 340
18. Albany - 329
19. James Madison - 295
20. Harvard - 289
21. American - 249
22. Massachusetts - 177
23. Old Dominion - 151
24. Maine - 124
25t. Pacific - 107
25t. Liberty - 107