The Shippensburg Raiders have been selected as the top team in the 2022 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, as voted on by league head coaches, the conference office announced Monday.
Receiving four first-place votes, the Raiders take first place in the poll as the defending DII Field Hockey National Champions. Shippensburg completed a perfect 20-0 season on their way to the program’s sixth National Title. Entering this season, the team remains under the leadership of Coach of the Year, Tara Zollinger. They also return All-PSAC honorees Valu Paul and Lindsay Tripodo. Paul was the team’s third-best scorer in 2021, while Tripodo led the league in shutouts on an .807 save percentage.
West Chester was selected second by league coaches with two first-place votes. Finishing 17-5 overall, the Golden Rams also made a strong postseason run in 2021. The team reached both the PSAC Championship and DII National Championship finals, but ultimately lost to Shippensburg on each occasion. In 2022, reigning Rookie of the Year, Valerie van Kuijck, returns to headline the squad. She will be joined by fellow All-PSAC members, Dara Spavlik and Claudia Jaszczak.
In third, also earning a pair of first-place votes, is East Stroudsburg after posting a second-best 9-1 conference record last season. The Warriors’ 2021 postseason made it so far as the DII National Semifinals before eventually bowing out to Shippensburg in a close 2-1 loss. This year, notable Warriors returners include All-PSAC second-team midfielder Lia Parker, as well as All-PSAC third-team midfielder, Nicole Krozser.
Coming in after the Warriors, is Kutztown with another pair of first-place votes. The Golden Bears posted an 11-7 overall mark in 2021. They bring back Second Team All-American, Rachel Dusman. Dusman scored 11 goals last season—eighth-most in the PSAC.
Millersville has been picked to place fifth. The Marauders went 15-4 last year, and bring back goalkeeper Kerstin Koons who led the conference with an .829 save percentage.
Bloomsburg slides in at sixth after tallying an 8-10 overall record, and will look improve with returning leading scorer, Alicia Carr.
Mansfield, IUP, Slippery Rock, and Mercyhurst round out the remainder of the poll.
The last ten NCAA DII National Champions have come from the PSAC, with Shippensburg as the most recent victors in 2021. The PSAC will look to continue its success when the field hockey season officially opens in the first week of September. The first league matchups will begin Sep. 10.
For the full PSAC Preseason Poll, see below:
PSAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
(# of 1st Place Votes)
1. Shippensburg (4)
2. West Chester (2)
3. East Stroudsburg (2)
4. Kutztown (2)
5. Millersville
6. Bloomsburg
7. Mansfield
8. IUP
9. Slippery Rock
10. Mercyhurst
Original source can be found here.
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