Aug. 20, 2003
RICHMOND, Va. - Old Dominion University, winner of seven consecutive CAA field hockey titles, is favored to continue its streak of dominance in 2003 according to a poll of the league's field hockey coaches. The Lady Monarchs received five first-place votes and a total of 47 points in the poll, six points better than 2002 runner-up William & Mary, which received one first-place vote.
James Madison received two first-place votes and a total of 39 points to secure the third spot in the poll. Delaware was ranked fourth, followed by Drexel, Hofstra, Virginia Commonwealth and Towson.
The Lady Monarchs return five starters from last year's 21-4 (7-0 CAA) squad that advanced to the national semi-finals with wins over Richmond and Maryland in the NCAA tournament before falling to Penn State 3-2. ODU has a pair of All-Americans returning in first-team selection Angie Loy (Loysville, PA) and second-team selection Melissa Leonetti (Erdenheim, PA). Loy, a first-team All-CAA performer, tied for the league-lead with 3.00 points per game in 2002, which also ranked second nationally. Leonetti was a first-team All-CAA defender in 2002.
William & Mary must overcome the loss of five starters from last year's 12-9 (6-1 CAA) team that fell to ODU 2-0 in the CAA championship and earned the school's second at-large bid in three years to the NCAA tournament. The Tribe's top returners include senior forward Jordan Steele and senior defender Kelli Duggan. Steele is the team's top returning scorer, and Duggan has started every game over the past two seasons.
James Madison registered a 13-9 (4-3 CAA) record in 2002 and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after posting wins over ACC rivals Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and eventual national champion Wake Forest. The Dukes return five starters, led by first-team All-CAA selection Janelle Perlis and 2002 CAA Rookie of the Year Lori Amico in goal.
2003 CAA FIELD HOCKEY PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL
1. Old Dominion (5 first-place votes) 472. William & Mary (1 first-place vote) 413. James Madison (2 first-place votes) 394. Delaware 315. Drexel 236. Hofstra 167. Virginia Commonwealth 158. Towson 12