FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. – Conference champions from each of the past two years have been voted atop the 2023 GNAC Softball Preseason Poll, with Emmanuel College leading the way in the North Division poll with eight first-place votes and 71 points, while reigning titleholder Johnson & Wales University (RI) was first in the South Division with eight first-place tallies and 85 points overall.
The two programs have gone head-to-head as the last two teams standing in the GNAC Tournament each of the past two seasons. EC swept JWU on Championship Sunday back in 2021, 8-0 and 10-2, before the Wildcats bounced back last spring for a 6-2 victory over the Saints in the 2022 GNAC Championship.
In alternating fashion, this year the South Division top seed will host the Saturday-Sunday phase of the six-team, double-elimination portion of the GNAC Tournament.
Behind Emmanuel in the North Division was Boston rival Simmons University with five first-place votes and 66 points in the poll. Simmons reached the 2019 title game and last year reached the GNAC semifinals.
Following Simmons were Saint Joseph's College of Maine (57 points), Rivier University (40), Norwich University (22), and Anna Maria College (17).
In the South Division, Albertus Magnus College finished runner-up to JWU with five first-place votes and 83 points in the poll. Fellow Connecticut rival University of Saint Joseph (CT) finished in the third spot with 63 points, as USJ previously won the 2019 GNAC Championship and opens up play at its new turf facility this spring.
The rest of the South side of the poll included Lasell University (49), Regis College (42), Elms College (25), and Dean College (17). For the complete poll results, please see below.
2023 GNAC Softball Preseason Poll
NORTH
1. Emmanuel (8) - 71
2. Simmons (5) - 66
3. Saint Joseph's Maine - 57
4. Rivier - 40
5. Norwich - 22
6. Anna Maria - 17
SOUTH
1. JWU (8) - 85
2. Albertus Magnus (5) - 83
3. USJ (CT) - 63
4. Lasell - 49
5. Regis - 42
6. Elms - 25
7. Dean - 17
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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