ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Belmont Abbey field hockey team was selected to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference Preseason poll that was released Friday by the league office. The vote was conducted by the league's head coaches.
Mount Olive was selected as the preseason favorite with six place first votes followed by Converse (2), Newberry (1) and Lander. The Crusaders are entering their second season under head coach
Chelsea Herlocker as the team set a new program-best mark with seven conference wins last season.
Additionally, four Crusaders — all juniors — earned preseason all-conference honors. Forward
Casey Etter was a first-team selection while goalkeeper
Chloe Parker, midfielder
Isabella Grasso and
Caitlin Struckhoff all earned spots on the second team. The teams were selected by the league's sports information directors.
Etter led the team in points last year (6 goals, 3 assists) and was a first-team selection following the conclusion of the 2022 season. Parker has started every game in each of her first two seasons with the Crusaders while Grasso has been a consistent presence in the midfield for Belmont Abbey. This is the second straight preseason all-conference honor for Struckhoff, who led the team with four defensive saves in 2022.
The Abbey opens the season with a matchup against Indiana (Pa.) Sept. 1 in Shippensburg, Pa. The team opens the 2023 home schedule against Wingate Sept. 8 at Field Day Park in Clover, S.C.
2023 SAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Score |
| 1. |
Mount Olive (6) |
62 |
| 2. |
Converse (2) |
58 |
| 3. |
Newberry (1) |
50 |
| 4. |
Lander |
40 |
| 5. |
Belmont Abbey |
39 |
| 6. |
Coker |
27 |
| 7. |
Limestone |
26 |
| 8. |
Wingate |
15 |
| 9. |
Lincoln Memorial |
7 |
2023 SAC Field Hockey PRESEASON All-Conference
First Team
- Nikki Bos, Mount Olive
- Catalina Pistaccio, Converse
- Casey Etter, Belmont Abbey
- Stembile Chikoore, Newberry
- Josefina Golppi, Limestone
- Avery Congleton, Mount Olive
- Annefleur Moerkerken, Mount Olive
- Jule Schuurman, Mount Olive
- Maud van Duin, Mount Olive
- Alanna Barrett, Mount Olive
- Julia Matthijssen, Converse
- Lieke Varenkamp, Newberry
- Tamsin Bangert, Newberry
Second Team
- Payton Findlay, Newberry
- Tereza Koprivova, Limestone
- Kaiya Sabur, Coker
- Chloe Parker, Belmont Abbey
- Kilee Bradeen, Converse
- Amber Dercksen, Mount Olive
- Isabel Elenga, Lander
- Hailey Moore, Newberry
- Caitlin Struckhoff, Belmont Abbey
- Isabella Grasso, Belmont Abbey
- Marissa Plumer, Newberry
- Victoria Hulst, Lander
- Hannah Colavita-Jones, Wingate
