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LANCASTER, PA - Franklin & Marshall College is picked to finish second in the 2005 Centennial Conference (CC) field hockey championship race according to a poll of the Conference's head coaches. The Diplomats, who finished the 2004 season with a 16-5 record and a #11 national ranking, received three out of 11 first-place votes and 89 points for the team’s highest finish in the CC preseason poll in school history bettering the 2002 team’s fourth place nod. Ursinus College, which claimed its first ever Centennial Conference title with a 4-3 overtime victory against Franklin & Marshall last year in Collegeville, received the remaining eight first-place votes (teams not permitted to vote for themselves) for 98 points and first place in the poll. Gettysburg College and Washington College received 82 and 66 points, respectively, to rank third and fourth, while Johns Hopkins University and McDaniel College tied for fifth with 58 points apiece. Dickinson (51), Muhlenberg (46), Swarthmore (27), Haverford (20) and Bryn Mawr (10) rounded out the poll. Leading the Diplomats in 2005 will be forwards Brittany Croll (Sr., Frankford, DE/Indian River) and Eileen Keever (Sr., Prospect Park, PA/Interboro) who will serve as co-captains. A 2004 STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and Womensfieldhockey.com second team All-America selection, Keever was named an All-Centennial Conference first team selection and MVP of the Drew University Tournament. Further, she was named to the 2004 STX/ NFHCA Division III All-South Region team as she led the Centennial Conference in goals and points with 20-9-49 this season. A 2003 All-CC second team selection, she now has 33-14-80 in her three-year career as she is on pace to rank among the top five scorers in program history at the College. A 2004 STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-South Region second team and All-Centennial Conference first team selection, Croll scored 18-6-42 to combine with Keever for 38-15-91 to make up the best scoring tandem in the Centennial Conference as the duo led an offense which averaged 3.52 goals per game. A member of the September 7 womensfieldhockey.com honor roll for scoring twice in a 3-2 double overtime victory at Drew University, Croll is among the program’s all-time leading scorers as she has raised her career total to 36-14-86 to tie with Sandy Swope ’84 for sixth in career goals. Further, she is within two goals of fourth place (Ann Ricciuti ’80, 38) and 18 of shattering the program record (Laura Kramedas ’80, 53). Franklin & Marshall will open the 2005 season on September 3 versus Division II CW Post at the Drew University Tournament. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. 2005 Centennial Conference Preseason Field Hockey Poll
1. Ursinus (8) 98
2. Franklin & Marshall (3) 89
3. Gettysburg 82
4. Washington 66
5. Johns Hopkins 58
McDaniel 58
7. Dickinson 51
8. Muhlenberg 46
9. Swarthmore 27
10. Haverford 20
11. Bryn Mawr 10
Head coaches polled
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