WINTHROP, Mass. – Defending Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Champion Johnson & Wales will try to extend its title streak to three in 2023. It comes into the season as the preseason favorite.
The Wildcats earned 166 points, including 12 first place votes, in this year's preseason poll which was conducted by the league's 13 field hockey head coaches last week.
Led by 18th-year Head Coach Rupert Lewis, the Monks posted an 11-9 overall record with an 8-3 mark in conference play last fall. As the #3 seed in the GNAC Tournament, St. Joe's hosted #6 Lasell University in quarterfinal action on October 29th and suffered a season-ending 2-1 loss in double overtime at the SJC Athletics Complex.
The Monks will look to several key returning contributors to help them outperform the projected finish. Sophomore forward Maya Waryas (Bellows Falls, Vt.), the 2022 GNAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-Region honoree, broke the team's single-season goals record with 23 tallies as a freshman. Third year starting goalkeeper Kassidy Collins (Pittston, Maine) also enjoyed a strong season with a 2.03 goals against average and 136 saves in 19 starts. Junior Abbie Jacques (Mount Vernon, Maine) has scored 28 points (11 G, 6 A) in 34 career games and seems primed for a big season.
Last year, JWU produced a perfect 11-0 GNAC (19-2 overall) record to claim the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament. The Wildcats defeated the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 5-0, and Colby-Sawyer, 1-0, to earn the chance to defend their conference title. In the championship match, they knocked off No. 2 seed Simmons to retain the conference crown. In the NCAA Championship, they fell to eventual NCAA Championship semifinalist, Williams, in the first round.
Last year's GNAC Tournament runner-up, Simmons, earned the second spot in this year's voting with 149 points and the last remaining first place vote. The Sharks are perennial championship contenders and will be hoping to capture the league title for the first time since 2015.
Colby-Sawyer landed in the No. 3 spot in this year's ranking with 135 points, while newcomer New England College and Saint Joseph's (Maine) tied for fourth place with 122 points.
Lasell and Rivier finished sixth and seventh, respectively, with 113 and 93 points, while Anna Maria and the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) tied for eighth with 65 points.
Rounding out the poll in order were Regis (60 points), Dean (35), Elms (34), and Albertus Magnus (24).
The 2023 GNAC Field Hockey season begins on Friday, Sept. 1 with teams in non-conference action. The first conference contest is the next day on Saturday, Sept. 2 with Albertus Magnus hosting New England College with the full conference play date taking place on Wednesday, Sept. 6. Teams will complete a 12-game single round robin conference season with the top-eight teams at the end of the regular season qualifying for the 2023 GNAC Field Hockey Championship Tournament.
The postseason starts with the quarterfinal round on Saturday, Oct. 28 with the winners moving on to the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The tournament will conclude with the GNAC Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 4 with winner claiming the title of GNAC Champion and earning the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.
2023 GNAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| 1. | Johnson & Wales | 166 (12 1st Place Votes) |
| 2. | Simmons | 149 (1) |
| 3. | Colby-Sawyer | 135 |
| T-4. | New England College | 122 |
| T-4. | Saint Joseph's (Maine) | 122 |
| 6. | Lasell | 113 |
| 7. | Rivier | 93 |
| T-8. | Anna Maria | 65 |
| T-8. | U. of Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 65 |
| 10. | Regis | 60 |
| 11. | Dean | 35 |
| 12. | Elms | 34 |
| 13. | Albertus Magnus | 24 |
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THE GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 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.
