NEWBERRY — The Newberry College Wolves are ranked fifth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference women’s field hockey preseason poll, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The W0lves return the top two scorers from a season ago and welcome 14 newcomers to its 2016 roster under first-year head coach Anne Kietzman.
“Our team is really excited to begin the competitive part of the season, especially ECAC play,” Kietzman said. “The 2016 team is going to have a very different look and feel than in the past. We have an incredible amount of potential and a large first-year class — I’m expecting a lot of growth out of this team throughout the fall.”
Limestone stood atop the league’s preseason poll with 23 points and three first-place votes. Bellarmine was picked second in the poll with 19 points and one first-place vote, while Lindenwood was right behind in third with 18 points and the remaining first-place vote.
Mercy and Newberry rounded out the poll with nine and six points, respectively. Belmont Abbey, which will compete as an affiliate member in 2016, was not included in the preseason poll.
The ECAC’s regular season standings determine the teams that qualify for the four-team conference tournament, which will be hosted by Newberry from Nov. 4 to Nov. 6 at Setzler Field. The Wolves open their 2016 season on Sept. 3 at Millersville.