Aug. 21, 2009

South Easton, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Lowell field hockey team has been selected to bring home the 2009 Northeast-10 Regular Season Title as voted upon by the conference's head coaches. The Adelphi University Panthers were selected to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll, earning a total of 42 points.

Adelphi (3-7) finished two points below Saint Anselm College (6-12, 6-12 NE-10) in the poll. The Panthers are fresh off their first year as a varsity sport since 1983. Second-year Head Coach Gloria O'Connor brings back second-year assistant Ellen Axelsen, and introduces first-year assistant Lea Schumacher, who played four years for Bentley University. The Panthers also bring back their top-three scorers from last season.

UMass Lowell (20-5, 17-1 NE-10) finished slightly ahead of both Bentley University (17-6, 15-3 NE-10) and Stonehill College (13-8, 12-6 NE-10) respectively. The Falcons received two first-place votes for 106 points, while the Skyhawks followed close behind with three first-place votes and 105 points.

Southern Connecticut State University (13-10, 12-6 NE-10) collected 83 points to finish fourth in the poll, while Saint Michael's College received 75 points to round out this year's top five.

Franklin Pierce University (7-13, 7-11 NE-10) is picked to finish sixth this season with 65 points, followed by Saint Anselm College (6-12, 6-12 NE-10) with 44 points just ahead of Adelphi University (3-7) who received 42 points. The Panthers are entering their first season with the Northeast-10.

Merrimack College (5-13, 5-8 NE-10) collected 39 points followed by American International College (5-15, 4-14 NE-10) with 31 points and Assumption College (2-18, 1-17 NE-10) with 22 points to round out the rest of the poll.

The 2009 season gets under way on Thursday, August 27 as Adelphi travels to Seton Hill for a 12 p.m. contest. The first NE-10 conference match up with slated for Saturday, Sept. 5 as Saint Anselm visits Southern Connecticut for a 1 p.m. start.

The Northeast-10 Championship is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Oct. 28 with the quarterfinal round followed by the semifinal round on Saturday, Oct. 31. The finals are set for Sunday, November 1. For more information on the upcoming season and for continuous coverage all season long visit the Northeast-10 Conference website at www.northeast10.org.

With 16 member institutions the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

-NE-10-

2009 NE-10 Preseason Poll

1. UMass Lowell (6) - 107 2. Bentley (2) - 106 3. Stonehill (3) - 105 4. Southern Connecticut - 83 5. Saint Michael's - 75 6. Franklin Pierce - 65 7. Saint Anselm - 44 8. Adelphi - 42 9. Merrimack - 39 10. American Int'l - 31 11. Assumption - 22

() - First Place Vote