The South Atlantic Conference Announces 2022 Field Hockey Preseason Poll and All-Conference Teams
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Converse, the reigning Conference Champions, are slated to be the top team in the 2022 South Atlantic Conference Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll, as voted upon by the league's nine head coaches.
The Valkyries earned five first-place votes and 61 total points after wrapping up a phenomenal 2021 season. They went 12-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play. After being named the No. 1 seed in the SAC tournament and hosting the championship, the Valkyries walked away with their first ever championship title.
Converse swept this past year's awards with Mira Polzer earning Offensive Player of the Year, Ciriaca Petitto garnering Defensive Player of the Year, Lotte Kanters taking Freshman of the Year, and head coach Valerie Clarke earning the 2021 Coach of the Year award.
Limestone and Belmont Abbey have tied for the No. 2 spot, both earning 54 points. The saints earned three first-place votes while Belmont Abbey earned one first-place vote from the league's coaches. Limestone went 9-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play last season and made it to the conference championship final where they fell to converse. The Crusaders went 11-8 overall and 6-6 in conference play. They advanced to the conference tournament but fell to Limestone in the quarterfinals.
The No. 4 spot went to Mount Olive who earned 47 first-place votes in this year's poll. The Trojans ended up ranked 5th in the league last season after going 6-9 overall and 6-7 in conference play.
Newberry earned the No. 5 spot with 38 points in their corner. The Wolves wrapped up the 2021 season with an overall record of 10-8 and went 7-6 in conference play. They ended their season in the field hockey tournament semifinals.
Coker took the No. 6 spot in the poll with 27 votes to their credit. The Cobras finished the 2021 season with a record of 6-9 overall, going 4-8 in conference action.
Wingate followed closely behind in the No. 7 spot with 19 points, Lander took home the No. 8 spot in the poll with 14 points and rounding out the poll is Lincoln Memorial with 10 points.
In addition to the 2022 South Atlantic Conference Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll, the 2022 Preseason All-Conference teams were also announced. Voted on by the league's media relations directors, the preseason all-conference teams featured players from almost every program.
The 2022 South Atlantic Conference season is set to begin Thursday September 1, 2022.
2022 SAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
Rank School (First Place Votes) Score
1. Converse (5) 61
T-2. Limestone (3) 54
T-2. Belmont Abbey (1) 54
4. Mount Olive 47
5. Newberry 38
6. Coker 27
7. Wingate 19
8. Lander 14
9. Lincoln Memorial 10
2022 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
First Team
Chloe Parker, Belmont Abbey
Lily Drury, Newberry
Britt Kabo, Coker
Yasmin De Meyer, Newberry
Lotte Kanters, Converse
Annefleur Moerkerken, Mount Olive
Casey Etter, Belmont Abbey
Catalina Pistaccio, Converse
Isabella Grasso, Belmont Abbey
Luisa Fasold, Converse
Julia Matthijssen, Converse
Bella Pistilli, Converse
Second Team
Tereza Koprivova, Limestone
Coda Fisher, Coker
Indy Echteld, Coker
Emma Hoats, Limestone
Kathryn Daniels, Converse
Riley DeGrace, Limestone
Abigail Kane, Belmont Abbey
Jessica Rybicki, Belmont Abbey
M. Harrell-Alvarez, Belmont Abbey
Sarah Tobin, Belmont Abbey
Kelsey Sithole, Coker
Caitlin Struckhoff, Belmont Abbey
Kaylee Swift, Limestone
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