SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Field Hockey Team has been selected fifth in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Preseason Poll, as it was released Thursday.
 
Now entering its seventh season as a varsity program, the Roger Williams field hockey team continues to make strides in the CCC. Last season, the Hawks qualified for the CCC Tournament for the second time in program history. In addition, the team tied for the second-most single-season wins in program history while placing two student-athletes on the All-CCC Team. Led by first-year head coach Kelly Blackhurst, this year's team returns most of its starting lineup, including sophomore Brooklyn Cenatiempo (Trumbull, Conn.) who broke the single-season scoring record last year.
 
Defending CCC Champion Endicott was selected as the preseason favorite in the CCC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Gulls earned 47 point and five of the seven first place votes in the poll that was conducted by the league's seven field hockey head coaches.
 
The University of New England enters the season ranked second according to the voting. UNE earned 44 points and the remaining two first place votes in the poll.
 
Salve Regina and Western New England, the two 2018 CCC Tournament Semifinalists, placed third and fourth in the poll, respectively. The Seahawks earned 30 points, while the Golden Bears picked up 25.
 
Roger Williams (24 points), Nichols (15), and Gordon (11) closed out the poll in that order.
 
CCC field hockey teams begin play on Friday, Aug. 30 with three teams opening their seasons with non-conference matchups. The conference schedule will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 18. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top five teams in the conference standings will earn berths into the CCC Championship Tournament, which will begin with two quarterfinal matches on Tuesday, Nov. 5. The winners of those games will advance to play in the semifinal round on Thursday, Nov. 7. The Tournament Champion will be crowned on Saturday, Nov. 9 with the winner earning the conference's automatic qualifier into the 2019 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship.
 
 
2019 CCC Field Hockey Preseason Coaches' Poll
 

	Team	Points (First Place Votes)
1.	Endicott	47 (5)
2.	University of New England	44 (2)
3.	Salve Regina	30
4.	Western New England	25
5.	Roger Williams	24
6.	Nichols	15
7.	Gordon	11

 
 
- Release courtesy of the Commonwealth Coast Conference