STANDISH, ME – The New England Intercollegiate Softball Coaches Association (NEISCA) weekly poll has been released and Saint Joseph's College is ranked fifth in the region.
The Monks, 30-7 overall and 23-3 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contests this spring, fall one spot in the poll after dropping conference contests to Simmons College and Norwich University – both one-run setbacks - last week.
The top three teams remain the same in this week's poll, as Eastern Connecticut (31-1), Tufts (28-4) and Amherst (31-1) retain the first, second and third positions, respectively. GNAC-counterpart Emerson College (30-7), ranked fifth in last week's poll, leapfrogged the Monks and sits ahead of St. Joe's, Bowdoin (25-10), Springfield (22-12-1), Keene State (18-7-1), University of New England (20-10), and Babson (23-16) in the fifth NEISCA Poll of the 2012 season.
Endicott, Middlebury, Salem State, Worcester State and Salve Regina also received votes in the April 24th rankings.
Saint Joseph's hosts a pair of GNAC Tournament contests at Richard W. Bailey Field on Friday afternoon. #6 Norwich University and #3 Simmons College will square off at 2:00 PM and the Monks, the #2 seed in the tourney, will play the Norwich/Simmons winner at 4:00 PM.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.
