WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons and Johnson & Wales were selected as the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) softball divisional favorites in the 2024 GNAC Preseason Coaches' Polls, which were conducted last week by the league's 15 softball head coaches.
The Sharks earned the top spot in the North Division with 99 points and 11 first place votes, while the Wildcats sat atop the South Division Voting with 113 points and 10 first place votes.
Simmons comes into the 2024 campaign as the defending GNAC Champions. It finished last year as No. 1 seed in the North last year with an 8-2 GNAC Divisional record (27-16 overall) and proceeded to make its way through the double-elimination GNAC Championship Tournament unscathed, earning the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
In NCAA Regional action, after dropping their opening game to host MIT, the Sharks won their next two games against RPI and Endicott to earn a spot in the MIT Regional final. However, they could not overcome the Engineers in the final game.
JWU was also a division winner in the regular season a year ago, finishing 11-1 in GNAC divisional play (29-13 overall). However, the Wildcats had an early exit from the tournament and will be looking to bounce back this season.
Both divisions look to be hotly contested as there were several other teams that also received first place votes in the polls.
In the North, Emmanuel and Saint Joseph's (Maine) ranked second and third in this year's voting with the Saints garnering 87 points to the Monks' 81. Both squads also received two first place votes. Rivier and New England College rounded out the top five in the North Division with 53 and 47 points, respectively. Closing out the North Division voting were Norwich (30 points) and Anna Maria (23) in that order.
Taking the second and third spots in the South Division were Albertus Magnus and 2023 GNAC Softball runner-up Lasell. The Falcons secured 97 points in the voting, while the Lasers picked up 94. They each also received two first place votes. The University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) earned 72 points to finish in fourth in the voting, while new addition to the conference, Mitchell, rounded out the top five with 70 points. The Mariners also earned the last first place vote in this year's voting. Closing out the South Division poll were Regis in sixth with 42 points, while Dean and Elms each earned 26 points to tie for seventh.
GNAC softball teams get going with their spring break trips starting on Friday, March 1. After returning home, GNAC play will begin on Saturday, April 6. Teams will play a doubleheader against each team in their division to determine divisional standings.
The top five teams in each division at the end of the regular season will qualify for the 2024 GNAC Softball Championship Tournament, which will begin with a single-elimination Play-In round featuring the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds in each division on Tuesday, April 30. Following the Play-In games, the teams will be split into two, four-team double-elimination pods. Pod Play will take place from Thursday, May 2 to Sunday, May 5 with the winners of each team advancing to a best-of-three GNAC Championship Series. The Championship Series is scheduled for Friday-Saturday, May 10-11 with the winner earning the title of 2024 GNAC Softball Champion and the league's automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Softball Championship.
2024 GNAC Softball Preseason Polls
| NORTH DIVISION | ||
| 1. | Simmons | 99 (11 First Place) |
| 2. | Emmanuel | 87 (2) |
| 3. | Saint Joseph's (Maine) | 81 (2) |
| 4. | Rivier | 53 |
| 5. | New England College | 47 |
| 6. | Norwich | 30 |
| 7. | Anna Maria | 23 |
| SOUTH DIVISION | ||
| 1. | Johnson & Wales | 113 (10 First Place) |
| 2. | Albertus Magnus | 97 (2) |
| 3. | Lasell | 94 (2) |
| 4. | University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 72 |
| 5. | Mitchell | 70 (1) |
| 6. | Regis | 42 |
| T-7. | Dean | 26 |
| T-7. | Elms | 26 |
COURTESY OF 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.
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