NO. ATTLEBORO, Mass. – The Southern New Hampshire University field hockey team was selected fifth in the 2026 Northeast 10 Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was announced Tuesday.
Assumption University, the 2025 Northeast 10 regular-season champion, earned seven first-place votes and is the preseason favorite. Defending Northeast 10 champion Saint Anselm College received one first-place vote and was picked second. Bentley University (63 points) was third, followed by Adelphi University (61), which garnered two first-place votes. The Penmen (50) were next in fifth, followed by Pace University (42), Southern Connecticut State University (34), Franklin Pierce University (28), Saint Michael's College (17), and American International College (10).

Under the direction of 12th-year head coach Julie Munson, the Penmen finished 12-7 overall and 8-4 in the Northeast 10 last fall. SNHU earned the No. 5 seed in the Northeast 10 Championship before its season ended with a 4-2 quarterfinal loss at No. 4 Bentley. 

Key returners for the Penmen in 2026 include seniors Zoe Demers (Manchester, N.H.) and Amelia Crocombe (Somerset, England), sophomore Kim Dull (Wilnis, Netherlands), junior Natalie Paradzick (Hooksett, N.H.), and sophomore goalkeeper Agustina Miranda Waigand (Miami, Fla.). Demers led SNHU with 11 goals and 24 points in 2025, earning Northeast 10 First-Team All-Conference and NFHCA Second Team All-East Region honors. Dull ranked second on the team with 22 points on seven goals and a team-high eight assists, earning Third-Team All-Conference and All-Rookie Team recognition. Crocombe added six goals and five assists for 17 points, while Paradzick started all 19 games and scored four goals. Miranda Waigand started all 19 games in goal, recorded five shutouts, and joined Dull on the Northeast 10 All-Rookie Team. Senior Abby Forbes (Boscawen, N.H.) also returns after tallying three goals and five assists in 18 games. Munson has added five freshmen to the 19-member roster.

SNHU opens its 2026 campaign Friday, Sept. 4 against Bloomsburg University at Larkin Field at 4 p.m. The Penmen then travel to Bentley on Sept. 6 and Dominican University of New York on Sept. 12 before returning home to face Saint Anselm on Sept. 16 and Southern Connecticut State on Sept. 19.

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2026 Northeast 10 Preseason Field Hockey Coaches' Poll

1. Assumption (78), 7 first-place votes
2. Saint Anselm (67), 1 first-place vote
3. Bentley (63)
4. Adelphi (61), 2 first-place votes
5. SNHU (50)
6. Pace (42)
7. SCSU (34)
8. FPU (28)
9. SMC (17)
10. AIC (10)