NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - The Southern Connecticut State indoor track and field squads were both selected this week as the preseason Northeast 10 favorites. Both schools won the league's cross country championship in the fall and advanced to the NCAA Championship in Wisconsin.
The NE10 preseason coaches' polls are voted on by the head coach of each conference team and coaches are not allowed to vote for their own programs, meaning SCSU was essentially a unanimous selection at the head of each list.
On the men's side, SCSU has won eight consecutive NE10 indoor championships. The Owls women have won consecutive titles following wins by Southern New Hampshire in 2023 and American International in 2022. Those wins all come on the heels of a dominant run by Stonehill and UMass Lowell, two former conference members now competing in Division I.
Alongside an obvious leg up in the distance events following the fall, SCSU also returns key contributors in other events including thrower Belle Smith - the 2025 NE10 Most Outstanding Field Performer at the league's championship. The men return key middle-distance contributors Marquis Whyte and Sam Sandler while the women bring back Hannah Caiola, an All-American middle distance runner and the NCAA DII record holder in the indoor 300m. Maddie Hathorn returns as the women's indoor pole vault champion.
The last three runners up on the men's side were the New Haven Chargers. The now DI program also was the runner up for the women in 2025. UNH's departure leaves the remaining field fairly wide open. Franklin Pierce was slotted second in the men's preseason poll with SNHU picked second for the women. Both program's received a first place vote. Saint Anselm, just a couple years into existance as a program, was picked third in the women's poll and fourth in the men's.
The NE10 indoor season culminates February 19th and 20th (a Thursday and Friday) at the TRACK at New Balance in Boston with the conference championship. Coverage will be streamed live on FloCollege. The NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 13th and 14th.
|
MEN'S POLL |
|
|
WOMEN'S POLL |
|
| Place |
Team |
Votes |
Place |
Team |
Votes |
| 1 |
Southern Connecticut |
36 (6) |
1 |
Southern Connecticut |
49 (7) |
| 2 |
Franklin Pierce |
23 (1) |
2 |
SNHU |
32 (1) |
| 3 |
Adelphi |
22 |
3 |
Saint Anselm |
31 |
| T4 |
Saint Anselm |
21 |
4 |
Adelphi |
25 |
| T4 |
Assumption |
21 |
5 |
Bentley |
21 |
| 6 |
Bentley |
17 |
6 |
Assumption |
20 |
| 7 |
AIC |
6 |
7 |
Franklin Pierce |
12 |
|
|
|
8 |
AIC |
6 |
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 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.