Ohio Wesleyan Tops NCAC Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll

CLEVELAND, OH – Ohio Wesleyan has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2023 NCAC Field Hockey Poll based on balloting of the league coaches.

The Battling Bishops picked up eight of the possible 11 first-place votes and 115 total points. DePauw took second in the voting with two first-place votes and 107 points overall, while Denison took third after garnering the final first-place vote and 104 points overall. Kenyon claimed fourth with 85 points, followed by Allegheny (78), Wittenberg (66), Washington & Jefferson (56), Wooster (49), Earlham and Transylvania (23) and Oberlin (20).

Ohio Wesleyan finished the 2022 regular season with a 7-1 NCAC record, the conference tournament title and a second-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. Head coach Brenda Semit returns four All-NCAC selections from a season ago, including her top-three scorers, Allie Crawford (West Hartford, CT/Hall), Emily Streeter (Acton, MA/Acton-Boxborough) and Emma Wright (Marlton, NJ/Cherokee). Crawford, the defending NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in points (35) and goals (15), while tying for third in assists (5) a season ago; Streeter tied for third in the NCAC with 11 goals and five assists, and Wright netted six goals and tallied one assist last season. All-NCAC goalkeeper Meg McCarthy (Trumbull, CT/Trumbull), who logged 1001:35 minutes between the posts and finished 2022 as the NCAA field hockey leader (all divisions) in goals-against average (0.24), also returns for OWU. In eight NCAC matchups, McCarthy made 10 saves and did not relinquish a single goal.

The 2023 season welcomes new competition to the NCAC as the Washington & Jefferson Presidents and the Transylvania Pioneers enter their first season of NCAC field hockey. Both the Presidents and the Pioneers are coming off conference tournament appearances, in the Empire 8 and the Southern Athletic Association, respectively.

The 2023 NCAC field hockey season begins Sept. 1 with non-conference play while the first NCAC matchup will take place on Sept. 12 with Earlham at DePauw.

 
2023 North Coast Athletic Conference
Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points)
1. Ohio Wesleyan (8) 115
2. DePauw (2) 107
3. Denison (1) 104
4. Kenyon 85
5. Allegheny 78
6. Wittenberg 66
7. Washington & Jefferson 56
8. Wooster 49
9. Earlham 23
Transylvania 23
11. Oberlin 20

Related Stories

Related Videos

Now Playing: