Millersville picked fifth in PSAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
8/17/2021 2:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The field hockey coaches of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) released their preseason poll for the 2021 season Tuesday, and Millersville was picked to finish fifth in the 11-team league.
West Chester, the NCAA champions in 2019, landed the top spot with nine first-place votes. East Stroudsburg, the 2019 PSAC champion, followed in second, and Shippensburg placed third, receiving two first-place votes. Millersville's fifth-place ranking is one spot up from where it finished in 2019. Millersville has reached the PSAC Tournament and advanced to at least the semifinals each year since 2012. Millersville has finished sixth or higher in the standings each season since 2008. Millersville's most recently won a conference title in 2016.
Since its last game in 2019, Millersville lost six of its top eight goal scorers but does return former All-America honorees Hannah Brown, Sol Ortiz-Kreiner, and Meredith Fagan. Brown is the top returning offensive performer, having totaled 14 points on six goals and two assists in 2019. Ortiz-Kreiner, a graduate student, missed much of the 2019 season with an injury but was outstanding in 2018 with seven goals and nine assists. Fagan is a three-time All-PSAC selection on defense.
Millersville is not an inexperienced team as it boasts nine senior-level players and six juniors on its roster. Newcomers who have already made an impact at the Division II level include graduate transfer Farai Kawonde, who was a two-time All-SAC First Team selection at Newberry, and Keaghan Keracher, who totaled 12 goals and five assists as a sophomore at Limestone in 2019.
Millersville's season starts with six consecutive home games, and will play seven non-conference games before playing a PSAC contest. The season opens against Saint Thomas Aquinas on Sept. 4.
PSAC Preseason Poll
1. West Chester (9)
2. East Stroudsburg
3. Shippensburg (2)
4. Kutztown
5. Millersville
6. Bloomsburg
7. Mansfield
8. IUP
9. Slippery Rock
10. Mercyhurst
11. Seton Hill
West Chester, the NCAA champions in 2019, landed the top spot with nine first-place votes. East Stroudsburg, the 2019 PSAC champion, followed in second, and Shippensburg placed third, receiving two first-place votes. Millersville's fifth-place ranking is one spot up from where it finished in 2019. Millersville has reached the PSAC Tournament and advanced to at least the semifinals each year since 2012. Millersville has finished sixth or higher in the standings each season since 2008. Millersville's most recently won a conference title in 2016.
Since its last game in 2019, Millersville lost six of its top eight goal scorers but does return former All-America honorees Hannah Brown, Sol Ortiz-Kreiner, and Meredith Fagan. Brown is the top returning offensive performer, having totaled 14 points on six goals and two assists in 2019. Ortiz-Kreiner, a graduate student, missed much of the 2019 season with an injury but was outstanding in 2018 with seven goals and nine assists. Fagan is a three-time All-PSAC selection on defense.
Millersville is not an inexperienced team as it boasts nine senior-level players and six juniors on its roster. Newcomers who have already made an impact at the Division II level include graduate transfer Farai Kawonde, who was a two-time All-SAC First Team selection at Newberry, and Keaghan Keracher, who totaled 12 goals and five assists as a sophomore at Limestone in 2019.
Millersville's season starts with six consecutive home games, and will play seven non-conference games before playing a PSAC contest. The season opens against Saint Thomas Aquinas on Sept. 4.
PSAC Preseason Poll
1. West Chester (9)
2. East Stroudsburg
3. Shippensburg (2)
4. Kutztown
5. Millersville
6. Bloomsburg
7. Mansfield
8. IUP
9. Slippery Rock
10. Mercyhurst
11. Seton Hill
Players Mentioned
M
/ Field Hockey
D
/ Field Hockey
F
/ Field Hockey
F
/ Field Hockey
M
/ Field HockeyWednesday, October 29
Saturday, October 11
Wednesday, October 08
Saturday, October 04
