EAST STROUDSBURG – The East Stroudsburg University field hockey team heads into the 2022 season ranked No. 3 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Division II preseason coaches poll, the organization announced on Tuesday.

ESU, which has made six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and posted a 102-26 dating back to its 2015 national championship season, finished No. 4 in the final poll from 2021.

The defending national champion Shippensburg is the preseason No. 1 choice, receiving 14 of the poll's 21 first-place votes. West Chester, which received four first-place votes was second, followed by the Warriors with a pair of first-place votes while Assumption and Kutztown rounded out the top five. The PSAC has five of the top seven teams with Millersville ranked No. 7.

In last week's PSAC Preseason Poll, Shippensburg, West Chester, ESU and Kutztown were ranked first through fourth with the Raiders serving as the defending champion.

ESU returns a trio of All-PSAC selections in graduate student Morgan Mesenbrink (7 goals, 3 assists), senior Lia Parker (4 goals, 5 assists) and senior Nicole Krozser (6 goals, 2 assists). Junior Amy Supey is back in goal for the Warriors after starting all 21 games a season ago, posting 57 saves, a .760 save percentage and eight shutouts (four solo).

The Warriors welcome 17 freshman to this year's squad that features seven student-athletes from Pennsylvania, three from the Netherlands, two from New Jersey and Belgium as well as one from New York, Massachusetts and Germany.

ESU kicks off their season on Thursday at 4 p.m. when they welcome Saint Thomas Aquinas to Whitenight Field.

Penn Monto/NFHCA DII Preseason Coaches Poll (First Place Votes)

1.  Shippensburg (15)

2. West Chester (4)

3. East Stroudsburg (2)

4. Assumption

5. Kutztown

6. Saint Anselm

7. Millersville

8. Bentley

9. Adelphi

t-10. New Haven

t-10. IUP

t-10. Converse