NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. - The senior class in Worcester has never known anything besides entering the postseason as the Northeast 10's No. 1 seed. In 2026 they've been predicted to go four-for-four. Assumption's Greyhounds were announced Tuesday as the favorites atop the league's annual coaches' poll.
Assumption, a combined 36-2 in conference games over the last three years, received seven of the league's 10 first-place votes, with the other three broken up among defending postseason champion Saint Anselm and Adelphi. Saint A's and Southern New Hampshire are the only teams to defeat Assumptiuon in a regular season conference game since 2023.
The NE10 favorites graduate their leading scorer from 2025, Elle Murray, but return their next seven scoring threats from a year ago, including Daisy Stone and Julia Carbone -- who both scored more than 20 points as juniors. The Greyhounds' biggest question comes in goal, where Assumption has played only Paige Gillette and Kylie Gargiulo for all but about four hours of game time since 2019. The Hounds do return defensive standout Racquel Provost, who has started 63 games and will man the left side of the back line.
Adelphi received the next highest first-place vote total, and for good reason. The Panthers return Division II's leading scorer - and Region Player of the Year - Lana Mignon de Wet. The South African scored 51 points last year and leads an AU attack that will open against four PSAC schools in its first five games this fall.
Defending NE10 postseason champion Saint Anselm brings back one of the top goalies in the nation in Mackenzie Wehrum. The senior stopped 79% of shots she faced last fall. The Hawks will, however, need to replace a couple critical pieces, including NE10 Championship MVP Maggie Burchill and 2024 NCAA Championship standout Millie Forster - both lost to graduation.
Not to be taken forgranted, Bentley - the NE10 runners-up in 2025, was chosen third in this year's poll. The Falcons bring back second-leading scorer Madeline Krepelka and her 10 goals from a year ago.
Of note, 2026 is the first season the East Coast Conference has sponsored field hockey. The ECC will be made of of six teams, three of whom formerly played in the NE10. The departure of Mercy, Molloy and STAC has led to additional matchups between some NE10 teams, with Assumption, Bentley and Saint Anselm, for example, all scheduled to meet twice during the regular season.
The year opens August 28th, when Saint Anselm and SNHU battle in one of their final meetings as conference rivals. The NE10 Championship will be played November 15th with all league action streamed live on FloCollege.
Complete poll results are listed below.
| Rank |
Team |
Votes |
1st Place Votes |
| 1 |
Assumption |
78 |
7 |
| 2 |
Saint Anselm |
67 |
1 |
| 3 |
Bentley |
63 |
|
| 4 |
Adelphi |
61 |
2 |
| 5 |
Southern New Hampshire |
50 |
|
| 6 |
Pace |
42 |
|
| 7 |
Southern Connecticut State |
34 |
|
| 8 |
Franklin Pierce |
28 |
|
| 9 |
Saint Michael's |
17 |
|
| 10 |
American International |
10 |
|
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.
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