Nov. 4, 2010

NCAA Division II Field Hockey Regional Rankings

The UMass Lowell River Hawk field hockey squad, ranked second nationally in the Kookaburra/NFHCA Division II National Coaches Poll, stand at the top of the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Regional Rankings, as announced on Wednesday.

Considering games played through Oct. 31, the River Hawks boasted a 14-0 in-region record and 17-0 mark overall. Since the cutoff, the squad has improved to 18-0 overall.

Six teams will be selected by the NCAA field hockey committee for the 2010 tournament, including three from the North Region and three from the South.

Currently, the River Hawks are #1 in the north region, followed by #2 Stonehill (11-5 overall, 11-3 in-region), #3 Adelphi (10-6, 10-6) and #4 American International (10-6, 9-5).

The South Region is led by #1 Shippensburg (16-0, 14-0), #2 Bloomsburg (12-2, 10-2) and the top three is rounded out by #3 East Stroudsburg (14-3, 12-3).

The NCAA Tournament will begin with first-round action on Tuesday, Nov. 23 with the bottom two seeds from each region competing for a spot in the Final Four. The top seed in each region will receive a first-round bye.

This year’s semifinal and final will be held at the University of Louisville, in conjunction with the NCAA DII National Championships Festival. The Final Four games will both be held on Dec. 2 and the National Championship will be played on Dec. 4.

This year’s selection show will be streamed on NCAA.com at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 21.

The River Hawks have played in seven consecutive NCAA Tournaments and have appeared in the National Championship game for three straight years. They won the program’s only National Championship in 2005.

Next up in UMass Lowell’s quest to Louisville is a 1:00 tilt against Adelphi at home on Saturday afternoon at home on Cushing Field.