Old Dominion Selected First in CAA Preseason Field Hockey Poll
RICHMOND, Va. (August 17, 2012) - Two-time
defending champion Old Dominion has been picked to finish atop the CAA field
hockey standings in 2012 according to a vote by the league's head coaches.
The Lady Monarchs received six
first-place votes and 48 points to earn the top spot in the poll. Northeastern,
which earned the other two first-place votes, and Drexel finished in a tie for
second place with 40 points. James Madison was selected fourth by totaling 28
points, just edging out Delaware which collected 27 points. Hofstra was chosen
sixth in the poll, with William & Mary and Towson rounding out the list.
ODU looks to build off a stellar 22-3
campaign which included a #1 national ranking during the regular season and a
trip to the semifinals of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship. The Lady Monarchs
return four players who earned postseason honors in 2011. CAA Rookie of the Year
Kelsey Smither is back for her sophomore campaign after scoring four goals and
tallying 13 assists last season. Also returning are senior Maartje van Rijswijk
and junior Kati Nearhouse, who both earned All-CAA second team honors last
season. van Rijswijk ranked second on the team with nine goals while recording
10 assists in 2011. This will be the final season for ODU coach Beth Anders,
who leads all NCAA coaches with 529 wins and nine national championships.
Northeastern returns four starters from
last year's squad that finished 14-8 and earned a berth in the NCAA tournament.
Senior Crystal Poland, a first-team All-America honoree, will lead the front
line for the Huskies after scoring 27 goals last season. Anchoring the defense
will be senior goalkeeper Lizzie Priest, who was named first team All-CAA in
2011 after collecting a league-leading 148 saves and compiling a 1.96 goals
against average.
Drexel looks to make a big leap in 2012
after finishing 3-5 in CAA play last year. Leading the Dragons will be senior
midfielder Amanda Fleischut, who was named to the All-CAA first team in 2011
after leading the team with nine goals and 21 points. Drexel also returns
sophomores Christina Conrad and Meghan Plank who were named to the CAA
All-Rookie team last season. Conrad ranked third on the team with six goals and
16 points.
James Madison returns a pair of All-CAA
selections from last season's squad that finished 4-4 in conference play and
reached the semifinals of the CAA tournament. First team All-CAA selection
Jenna Taylor returns for her senior season after recording three goals and four
assists last season. Also returning is CAA All-Rookie team selection Taylor
West, who scored 6 goals and tallied 13 points in just three games last season.
The
CAA has placed multiple teams in the 16-team NCAA Field Hockey Championship in
three of the past five seasons.
2012
CAA FIELD HOCKEY PRESEASON COACHES POLL
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1. Old Dominion
|
48 (6 first-place votes)
|
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2. Northeastern
|
40 (2 first-place votes)
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Drexel
|
40
|
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4. James Madison
|
28
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5. Delaware
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27
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6. Hofstra
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20
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7. William & Mary
|
14
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8. Towson
|
7
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