Each week the NE10 quick-hitting statistical notes of where the conference ranks nationally and historically and looks at which teams and student-athletes have put together notable performances.
FOOTBALL
BLUE COLLAR DEFENSE
Saint Anselm’s defense has been the program’s calling card under head coach Joe Adam. We’re two weeks into 2024 and the Hawks are indeed soaring higher. Saint Anselm enters week three with the nation’s No. 6 scoring defense and 17
th-best total defense. The Hawks have allowed only 13 points in two games and held Bentley without a touchdown last week. Alejandro Santiago currently ranks 11
th nationally in total tackles.
All of that said, Saint Anselm has had some tough luck. The Hawks sit 0-2 and are one of only two teams ranked in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense to still be winless (Chowan is also 0-2 while allowing 36 total points).
RED ZONE DEAD ZONE
The red zone isn’t always the best place to be. The field shrinks and execution is pivotal. That said, most of the time teams do score once they make it inside the 20. Last week’s meeting between Bentley and Saint Anselm was an exception, however. The two teams combined to go 1-7 in the red zone, keyed by Jon Hosney intercepting two passes for Saint Anselm.
SKILLED EAGLES
Post is off to a 1-1 start as a member of the NE10 and is led by two key skill position players. Wide receiver Joshua Tracey ranks ninth nationally in receiving yards per game (116) and running back Isaiah Emmanuel ranks 13
th in rushing (114.5 per).
Pace’s Tyreek Smith has also started out the year as one of the top skill position players nationally. Smith is 8
th in all-purpose yards at 184.5 per game.
KICKOFF HEROS
Joshua Tracey ran back a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Post’s first game this season. Last week New Haven’s Kha’lil Eason ran back not one, but two kickoffs for touchdowns. That all gives the NE10 three KOR TD’s this season, second-most for a DII conference nationally. The GLVC has seen four KOR TD’s this season while the SIAC and MIAA have three. Eason is the only player to have run back multiple kicks this season.
FIELD HOCKEY
PENNING SOME HISTORY
SNHU picked up just it’s third ever win vs. No. 4 Assumption last week. The Penmen won 3-0 vs. the Greyhounds behind two goals from Annemartine Christis. It marks the first W for SNHU over Assumption since 2019, snapping a five game string, and is best win in program history since a 1-0 victory over No. 3 Stonehill in 2018.
The Penmen, who began playing field hockey in 2014, most notably defeated No. 1 LIU Post, 2-1, in 2016.
NOBODY CLOSE
Pace’s Krista Dietz is the active career leader in goals at the NCAA DII level. Her 60 career goals are 22 more than anybody else and one shy of Dietz cracking the NE10’s top 10 all-time. Dietz is third in the NCAA in active career points with 152. Penn State’s Sophia Gladieux leads the way at 180.
SOCCER
HOT-HANDED HELPERS
Two NE10 teams have been dishing out the assists early this season. On the men’s side, Assumption and SNHU rank second and third in the nation in assists per game. In totality, Assumption’s racked up 15 assists on 15 goals, with only three Assumption goals coming without an assist (one on a PK).
NO GOALS FOR YOU
New Haven and Franklin Pierce are among the best defenses nationally early in 2024. The teams have allowed one and two goals respectively in a combined 10 games. The duo is among just 31 teams nationally to have allowed two goals or fewer this season and none has played more games than the Ravens and Chargers (5).
NKOTB
The early season has seen some great results for teams looking to take the next step forward this fall. Saint Michael’s is off to a 4-0 start after going 7-6-4 last season. Assumption is 5-0-1 after winning three games in 2023 and leading the nation with nine ties. American International is 4-1 after going 7-7-1 last season.
With the hot start, Saint Mike’s is looking to make the postseason for the first time since 2002. The Purple Knights are the only active NE10 team to have never won a postseason game in the league (0-8-0).
SPEAK TO THE WARD-EN
Assumption’s Haleigh Ward leads the NE10 with six goals heading into the weekend, a total that would have ranked 11
th in the NE10 last season – a year that saw just two student-athletes eclipse the 10-goal mark (Mia Klammer and Kelsey Burr).
Ward came into her senior season with six career goals on a team that scored 21 times in all of 2023. The Greyhounds are three goals from surpassing last season’s total in just six games.
VOLLEYBALL
ONE SHOT IN MANCHESTER
There’s something in the water in New Hampshire … you only get one shot. Both Saint Anselm and SNHU are top five nationally in service aces this year with 81 and 84 respectively.
Last season’s NCAA leader in aces per set, Hollyn Frano is at it again, ranking 29
th in DII at 0.67 aces per set. When it comes to total aces, however, that NE10 title falls to Adelphi’s Jamaya Harris. She has 21 aces thus far to lead the league and sit 8
th in the country.
YES DIGGITY
Assumption’s Barbara Illig leads the league and ranks seventh nationally with 5.82 digs per set. The Hound was best in the season opener, digging up 36 balls in four sets vs Plymouth State. Her pace is one of the best in the NE10 in recent years and if Illig keeps it up she’ll have the best season for a libero in the conference since 2016 (SMC’s Natalie Moore at 6.78 digs per set).
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 11 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season. The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.