F&M Picked to Finish Fourth in 2002 Centennial Conference Pre-Season Field Hockey Poll

by Sports Information
8/15/02

LANCASTER, PA - Franklin & Marshall College, which finished 8-10 in 2001, is picked to finish fourth in the 2002 Centennial Conference Field Hockey Championship race according to the head coaches in the Centennial Conference.

The Diplomats, who earned a berth in the Conference Championship playoffs last year, concluded the 2001 Conference regular season 7-2 to earn the #2 seed for the four team playoffs. In the opening round of the tournament, #3 seed Johns Hopkins defeated F&M 3-0 to advance to the championship game and fall to Conference champion, Gettysburg.

Leading the charge into the new campaign for the Diplomats will be co-captains Alison Reindle (Sr., Fleetwood, PA/Muhlenberg) and Jen Hespell (Sr., Barto, PA/Boyertown)

Reindle, the October 22, 2001 Centennial Conference Player of the Week and a September 8th Honor Roll recipient, scored three goals and two assists last season to raise her career totals to six goals and six assists for 18 points. In addition, she will serve as a team captain with Hespell, who chipped in an assist in 2001, during the 2002 season.

Overall, Hopkins, which has earned three Conference titles in the past nine seasons, is favored to recapture the crown in 2002 as the Blue Jays received four of a possible nine first place votes (teams are not permitted to vote for themselves) for 73 points in the annual preseason coaches poll. Hopkins finished the 2001 season at 10-9 and 6-3 in the Conference.

Washington College was the second choice with three first-place votes and 69 points. The Shorewomen finished 2001 as the regular season champions with an overall record of 13-8, 7-2 in the Conference. In the playoffs, Washington lost in overtime to Gettysburg in the Conference semifinals and fell 1-0 to Catholic University of America in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament semifinals.

Gettysburg, which won the 2001 CC title, was third with 67 points, while F&M and McDaniel (formerly Western Maryland) followed in fourth and fifth with 57 and 53 points, respectively.

Swarthmore (39), Dickinson (33), Muhlenberg (32), Haverford (18) and Bryn Mawr (9) rounded out the poll.

The poll is similar to the 2001 selections in which Hopkins (81), Gettysburg (64), Washington (62), Swarthmore (62) and Muhlenberg (51) topped Franklin & Marshall (41).

The Diplomats will open the 2002 season on September 7 versus Manhattanville at the Drew University Tournament.

2002 Centennial Conference Pre-Season Field Hockey Poll
1. Johns Hopkins (4) 73
2. Washington (3) 69
3. Gettysburg (2) 67
4. Franklin & Marshall 57
5. McDaniel (1) 53
6. Swarthmore 39
7. Dickinson 33
8. Muhlenberg 32
9. Haverford 18
10. Bryn Mawr 9