| Contact: Timothy
Farrell
Sports Information Director
tfarrell@empire8.com
UTICA PICKED TO CAPTURE
FIRST EMPIRE 8 FIELD HOCKEY TITLE
Golden Flyers picked to finish seventh
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (Aug. 16, 2006) – Utica
College, which earned a bid to the NCAA Division
III Field Hockey Championship last season, is
the unanimous selection by the conference coaches
to win its first Empire 8 championship this year.
The Pioneers went 3-1 in conference play last
year and are seeking the school’s first
Empire 8 title in any sport.
This year’s conference play features the
addition of two affiliate members, Stevens Institute
of Technology and Washington & Jefferson College.
This year marks the final season in which the
Empire 8 field hockey champion will be determined
by round robin play. Next year, the top four teams
in regular season play will face off in a postseason
conference tournament.
Hartwick College, which has won back-to-back
conference titles and three of the four Empire
8 field hockey championships, is the coaches’
choice to finish second this season. The Hawks
went 4-0 in conference play last year, including
a 3-1 victory over Utica in the final regular
season conference game.
Ithaca College, which won the 2003 conference
title, was picked to finish third in the preseason
poll. The Bombers host Utica and Hartwick in their
first two conference games this year. Stevens
Institute is picked to finish fourth in its first
Empire 8 season. The Ducks finished with a 10-7
record last year, avenging seven losses from their
inaugural season in 2004.
Elmira College, Washington & Jefferson, and
Nazareth College were picked to finish fifth,
sixth, and seventh, respectively, in very close
balloting. The Presidents, who achieved a school-record
total of eight wins in 2004, will face Stevens
Institute in the first Empire 8 game for each
school.
2006 Empire 8 Field Hockey Preseason
Coaches Poll
1. Utica College 36 points
2. Hartwick College 30
3. Ithaca College 25
4. Stevens Institute of Technology 22
5. Elmira College 13
6. Washington & Jefferson College 11
7. Nazareth College 10
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