Posted: Aug 22, 2017

CCC Pre-season Coaches' Poll: Field Hockey No. 4

NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University field hockey returned to campus Sunday for its fall pre-season; today the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released the results of the its coaches pre-season poll for the sport.

The University of New England field hockey team was picked unanimously to earn its fourth straight Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title as it claimed all seven first place votes in the 2017 CCC Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Nor'easters earned a total of 49 points in the voting that was completed by the conference's seven head field hockey coaches last week.

The 2016 edition of the team completed a perfect conference schedule registering a 12-0 CCC (20-4 overall) record and cruising to its third straight tournament championship. The Nor'easters defeated the University of Maine-Farmington in the first round of the NCAA Championship before a narrow 2-0 defeat at the hands of NCAA championship runner-up Tufts. The team finished ranked No. 19 in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III Coaches Poll.

Endicott will be looking to return to the CCC championship in 2017 and finished second in this year's poll with 38 points. The Gulls had made two straight championship appearances and had played in four of the last five championship games before being eliminated in the CCC semifinals a year ago. Last season they finished 9-3 (11-9 overall) in conference and competed in the CCC tournament as the No. 2 seed.

Western New England, the team that defeated the Gulls in the semifinals, earned the No. 3 spot on the table with 35 points. After finishing 8-4 (10-10 overall) in conference play, the Golden Bears entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed. They picked up a 3-2 win over Endicott in the CCC Semifinals to make their first-ever appearance in the CCC championship match.

The final CCC tournament qualifier from a year ago, Salve Regina, landed in the No. 4 spot in the poll with 27 points.

2017 CCC Field Hockey Pre-season Coaches' Poll

Coming off a 2016 CCC tournament appearance, head coach Jennifer Foster begins her 12th year and welcomes new assistant coach Ryley van der Velde. The coaching staff is excited to begin the 2017 season with the return of a core nucleus of 14 players from the 2016 roster. The team will look to continue the offensive strength it showed last season, while also tightening play on the defensive end of the field. The coaches will rely on three seniors to lead the team on and off the field - Amber Cody (Pawling, N.Y.), Jessie Severino (Branford, Conn.) and Brooke Tolley (Brookside, N.J.).

Each of the trio was an impact player as a junior in their respective positions. Cody will lead a relatively young offensive group while Severino and Tolley will be the backbone of the defense. The team welcomes a talented freshmen class who will have the opportunity to make immediate contributions.

The early non-conference schedule will prepare the Seahawks for the opening of conference play on Sept. 13.

Salve Regina University
Salve Regina athletics sponsors 20 NCAA Division III varsity sports for men and women. The Seahawks compete in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC - baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, women's track and field, women's volleyball), New England Hockey Conference (NEHC - women's ice hockey), New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA - sailing). Beginning in 2017-18, Salve Regina will also sponsor equestrian as a varsity sport, and adds junior varsity programs for baseball and men's lacrosse.