Monks looking to
defend GNAC crown in 2017
WINTHROP, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College of Maine received 60 points and five first-place votes to take the first overall spot in the 2017 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the league's head coaches.
Simmons College was just two points off the pace, finishing with two first-place nods and 58 points to finish second in the poll, while Johnson & Wales University (RI) finished third with one first-place tally and 46 points.
SJC claimed the 2017 GNAC regular-season title before going on to defeat Simmons in the GNAC Championship, 1-0, to claim its first-ever league crown and trip to the NCAA Tournament, where the Monks traveled nearly six hours to take on Montclair State in a first-round contest. Libby Pomerleau, who scored the lone tally in SJC's GNAC Championship victory over the Sharks, helped defeat Montclair State by again scoring the only goal of the contest.
The Monks will open up their fall campaign by traveling to Wellesley on Friday, September 1. The SJC-Simmons contest is scheduled for Saturday, October 14 at Simmons' Daly Field.
Lasell College sat in the fourth position with 41 points in the poll, followed by Mount Ida College with 31 points, Anna Maria College with 23 points, the GNAC's newest full core member Regis (Mass.) with 18 points, and Rivier University with 11 points.
The GNAC Tournament will open up with first-round play on Saturday, October 28, with the championship contest taking place on Saturday, November 4 at the highest remaining seed.
2017 GNAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
1. Saint Joseph's of Maine (5) – 60
2. Simmons (2) – 58
3. Johnson & Wales (1) – 46
4. Lasell – 41
5. Mount Ida – 31
6. Anna Maria – 23
7. Regis (Mass.) – 18
8. Rivier - 11
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and nearly 4,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
– #TheGNAC –