Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Ranks No. 1 in Preseason Field Hockey Poll
8/23/2022 11:26:00β―AM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern field hockey ranked No. 1 in the nation in the NFHCAΒ preseason coaches poll released Tuesday. The reigning national champion Wildcats received a nation-bestΒ 26 first place votes and 1,107 points in the poll.
The highest preseason ranking in Northwestern history comes on the heels of its first national title last November when it took down Liberty 2-0 in the title game.Β
The four schools the Wildcats beat in the 2021 NCAA Tournament all ranked in the top seven, with North Carolina at No. 2, Iowa at No. 5, Harvard at No. 7 and Liberty at No. 6. Northwestern will face Liberty in a rematch of the national championship game in the home opener on September 9, and it will meet Big Ten foe Iowa in Evanston on September 23.Β
Fourteen of the 18 opponents on Northwestern's regular season schedule are ranked in the preseason top 25, including three of the other four programs ranked in the top five, all three from the Big Ten.Β
Northwestern opens the season on the road against No. 22 Maine on Sunday with gametime slated for Noon CT.Β
Penn Monto/NFHCAΒ National Coaches Poll - Preseason:
1. Northwestern
2. North Carolina
3. Michigan
4. Maryland
5. Iowa
6. Liberty
7. Harvard
8. Rutgers
9. Louisville
10. SyracuseΒ
11. Penn State
12. Virginia
13. Princeton
14. Boston College
15. UConn
16. Saint Joseph's
17. Delaware
18. Duke
19. Old Dominion
20. Wake Forest
21. American
22. Ohio State
22. Maine
24. Miami
25. UMass
Β
The highest preseason ranking in Northwestern history comes on the heels of its first national title last November when it took down Liberty 2-0 in the title game.Β
The four schools the Wildcats beat in the 2021 NCAA Tournament all ranked in the top seven, with North Carolina at No. 2, Iowa at No. 5, Harvard at No. 7 and Liberty at No. 6. Northwestern will face Liberty in a rematch of the national championship game in the home opener on September 9, and it will meet Big Ten foe Iowa in Evanston on September 23.Β
Fourteen of the 18 opponents on Northwestern's regular season schedule are ranked in the preseason top 25, including three of the other four programs ranked in the top five, all three from the Big Ten.Β
Northwestern opens the season on the road against No. 22 Maine on Sunday with gametime slated for Noon CT.Β
Penn Monto/NFHCAΒ National Coaches Poll - Preseason:
1. Northwestern
2. North Carolina
3. Michigan
4. Maryland
5. Iowa
6. Liberty
7. Harvard
8. Rutgers
9. Louisville
10. SyracuseΒ
11. Penn State
12. Virginia
13. Princeton
14. Boston College
15. UConn
16. Saint Joseph's
17. Delaware
18. Duke
19. Old Dominion
20. Wake Forest
21. American
22. Ohio State
22. Maine
24. Miami
25. UMass
Β
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