BOSTON, Mass. – Ahead of the program's 50^th anniversary season, the UMass Lowell field hockey team has been selected to finish fourth in the 2025 America East Preseason Coaches' Poll according to an announcement made by the conference office on Wednesday. Two River Hawks have also earned individual honors, as senior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.) and sophomore Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) were both named to the league's Preseason All-Conference Team.
 
Leeper and Kerkhof are both coming off strong individual performances in 2024. Leeper led the River Hawks with 13 goals and 26 points en route to her second consecutive All-Region Second Team and All-Conference First Team accolades. Kerkhof finished third on the team with 16 points in her rookie campaign with five assists and six goals. She was tabbed to the America East All-Rookie Team for her efforts.
 
Finishing 10-8 overall last fall and going 3-3 in conference play, the River Hawks received 13 points to take the fourth spot in the vote among the league's head coaches. New Hampshire (23 points) and Vermont (22 points) earned the top two spots in the 2025 poll after clashing in the championship game last year. UAlbany (15 points) finished just ahead of UMass Lowell, while Maine (12 points) and Bryant (5 points) followed in fifth and six place, respectively, to round out the preseason poll.
 
The 2025 campaign gets underway on Friday, August 29 when the River Hawks host Merrimack at 7 p.m.