Mount Olive ranked No. 10 in final field hockey poll

MOUNT OLIVE — The University of Mount Olive field hockey team was ranked No. 10 in the recently released final Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II National Coaches Poll, as the program was featured in the final rankings for the first time in team history.

The Trojans closed the season with a 14-4 overall record after posting a 14-game winning streak and an undefeated 12-0 mark in conference play. UMO also claimed its first-ever Piedmont Division title and advanced to the championship match of the conference tournament.

Mount Olive was ranked in the national poll for five straight weeks during the regular season after debuting in the rankings for the first-ever time at No. 10 on Oct. 25. The Trojans then vaulted to as high as No. 7 in the poll in early November before finishing the regular season No. 9 overall in the national rankings.

East Stroudsburg earned the top position with all 14 first-place votes after capturing the PSAC Championship following three wins in the conference tournament. Kutztown fell one spot to No. 2 after falling in the quarterfinals of the league tourney while concluding the year with a 16-3 mark. Shippensburg dropped one slot to No. 3 overall, while West Chester and Millersville remained in the same positions to round out the final top five in the poll.

The Trojans were one of two South Atlantic Conference teams featured in the final NFHCA Top 10 poll with league-champion Converse finishing tied for seventh.

This fall, UMO recorded its winningest season in team history and finished with double-digit wins in its fourth year as a program. The Trojans led the country in shot percentage while ranking among the top 10 in scoring average, scoring margin, points and assists per game. Mount Olive featured the SAC Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year with eight players earning all-conference honors.

— From University of Mount Olive Athletics