MAX Field Hockey’s Regional Rankings for 2016 have been expanded from a Top 10 to a Top 20! The Northeast Region consists of all public and private schools in the states of Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island.
The #1 preseason spot in the Northeast Region this Fall should come as no surprise. Sharon Sarsen’s Lakeland High School Hornets will look to claim an 8th straight New York state title in 2016, but will have to do so without MAX Field Hockey’s National Player of the Year Dana Bozek and two additional All-Region and All-State players in Julia Kim and Valerie Perkins. The pipeline of talent and rich tradition of the program (Note: USA Olympian Melissa Gonzalez is a Lakeland alum) should see the Hornets back at the top, with All-State senior Mia Lennon and juniors Caroline Cahill and Kelsey McCrudden being among the next big names and leaders.
The #2, #3, and #5 ranked teams also hail from the state of New York. Class A defending state champions Mamaroneck High School occupy the #2 spot and will be competing for their third straight Class A title this Fall. Even without graduated goal scorer and MAX Field Hockey All-Region player Elizabeth Clarke and All-State player Grace Fitzgerald, the Section I powerhouse will still be among the top contenders in the state. #3 ranked Garden City High School and #5 ranked Rye High School should once again vie for the Class B title. While the 2015 Class B Runner-Up Garden City will be without standout Michaela Bruno and All-State players Olivia Giarraputo and Sabrina Milone, the Cougars return a strong senior class that includes Emily Clarke, Celia Concannon and Taylor Gladd. They should be the heavy favorites to come out of Section 8. #5 Rye will look to get behind MAX Field Hockey All-Region senior Fusine Govaert with the goal of upsetting Section 1 rival and #1 ranked Lakeland, who have kept them from advancing to the state tournament.
Defending Class L State Champions Wilton High School top the Connecticut programs in the rankings, coming in at the #4 spot. Wilton graduated their standout goalkeeper Amanda Hendry (now at UNC) and Jillian Mahon, but return a lot of talent in Meredith Rappaport, Bridget Ward, Emma Rosen and Sophia Kaplan. The Warriors will look to make the state championship game for the 4th straight season in 2016. Close behind them is Glastonbury High School (#6) who graduated two strong players in Yasmeen Saeed and Maddie Norman, but return seventeen players from last year’s squad, including 2nd team all-state selection Catherine Guanci. Class L and FCIAC powerhouse Darien High School is just two spots down at #8. Mo Minicus will need to replace some major offensive power in the graduation of her two leading scorers and MAX Field Hockey All-Region players Marissa Baker and Georgia Cassidy. The Blue Wave also graduated their 1st Team FCIAC goalkeeper Kaeleigh Morrill. With the strength of this program year after year, we still expect them to find their way and be a top contender in the state.
Three New England Prep Schools made the Preseason Top 20, with NEPSAC Class A finalist Westminster School (CT) claiming the top spot of those three at #9. The 2014 Class A Semifinalist and 2015 Runner-Up lost to eventual Class A champions Phillips Andover Academy (MA) 2-1 in overtime strokes in the final last year. They return a strong squad, including All-Tournament goalkeeper Leah Klassen, Kendall Brown and Maddy Paro. Hotchkiss School (CT) and Greenwich Academy (CT) are next at the #10 and #12 spots. Hotchkiss put together a strong 14-1-1 2015 season after winning the 2014 A Championship. They secured the #1 tournament seed, but were knocked out by Westminster 1-0 in overtime strokes in the semifinal to be denied the repeat. They will look to vie for another A championship without two very talented midfielders and MAX Field Hockey All-Region players Olivia Ostrover and Hannah Leckey. #12 Greenwich Academy will be looking to do the same. The Gators were also knocked out by Westminster in overtime strokes in the A semifinal last year, and they too will be without one of their stars, MAX Field Hockey All-Region player Olivia Lesueur in 2016. The NEPSAC A title is certainly up for grabs this season and these three Connecticut programs should be strong contenders.
Rhode Island has three ranked Division I programs that could make a run for the 2016 state championship. Division I Runner-Up Moses Brown School claims the #17 spot after a strong 17-3 campaign in 2015. Division I State Champs North Kingstown High School secured the #19 spot, after an impressive postseason run in 2015 where they upset the #1 and #2 seeds to claim the title. 2015 Northeast Region Coach of the Year Julie Maguire returns Division I Tournament MVP and MAX Field Hockey All-Region player Meghann Maguire, who will look to lead the Skippers in defending their title. Barrington High School claimed the final spot and have some talent to replace in graduated Division I Player of the Year Julia Soares, as well as three other all-state players.
*View MAX Field Hockey’s 2016 Northeast Region Preseason Players to Watch*
2016 HIGH SCHOOL NORTHEAST REGION PRESEASON RANKINGS
LAKELAND HIGH SCHOOL
Shrub Oak, New York
2015: 22-0-0, Class B State Champions
MAMARONECK HIGH SCHOOL
Mamaroneck, New York
2015: 20-1-0, Class A State Champions
GARDEN CITY HIGH SCHOOL
Garden City, New York
2015: 17-1-0, Class B State Runner-Up
WILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Wilton, Connecticut
2015: 18-5-0, Class L State Champions
RYE HIGH SCHOOL
Rye, New York
2015: 16-1-1, Section I – Class B Runner-Up
GLASTONBURY HIGH SCHOOL
Glastonbury, Connecticut
2015: 16-1-1, Class L Semifinalist
WARD MELVILLE HIGH SCHOOL
East Setauket, New York
2015: 17-2-0, Class A State Runner-Up
DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL
Darien, Connecticut
2015: 19-2-0, Class L Quarterfinalist, FCIAC Champions
WESTMINSTER SCHOOL
Simsbury, Connecticut
2015: 17-3-1, NEPSAC Class A Runner-Up
HOTCHKISS SCHOOL
Lakeville, Connecticut
2015: 14-1-1, NEPSAC Class A Semifinalist
SHENENDAHOWA HIGH SCHOOL
Clifton Park, New York
2015: 18-2-0, Class A Semifinalist
GREENWICH ACADEMY
Greenwich, Connecticut
2015: 16-3-0, NEPSAC A Semifinalist
BURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE HIGH SCHOOL
Burnt Hills, New York
2015: 17-3-0, Class B Semifinalist
CHESHIRE HIGH SCHOOL
Cheshire, Connecticut
2015: 11-2-2, Class L State Runner-Up
NEW CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL
New Canaan, Connecticut
2015: 17-4-1, Class M State Champions
MAINE ENDWELL HIGH SCHOOL
Endwell, New York
2015: Class A State Quarterfinalist
MOSES BROWN SCHOOL
Providence, Rhode Island
2015: 17-3-0, Division I State Runner-Up
WHITNEY POINT HIGH SCHOOL
Whitney Point, New York
2015: 20-3-0, Class C State Champions
NORTH KINGSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL
North Kingstown, Rhode Island
2015: 14-6-1, Division I State Champions
BARRINGTON HIGH SCHOOL
Providence, Rhode Island
2015: 16-2-1, Division I State Semifinalist
A Note About Preseason Rankings:
MAX Field Hockey’s Preseason High School Rankings are based heavily on the previous Fall’s Final Rankings and team performances. As much as possible, seniors graduated and key returning players are taken into consideration, but complete information is not always available for each program. Historic dominance and success at the highest level and in the postseason are a major factor. MAX Field Hockey’s general ranking philosophy: you must prove it on the field and beat the best and ranked teams to move onto and up the rankings!
MAX Field Hockey always welcomes feedback on the High School Rankings.
Think we missed someone or that a team should be ranked higher or lower?
Email us: admin@maxfieldhockey.com
