LANCASTER, Pa. – Five-time defending champion Johns Hopkins has earned the top spot in the 2024 Centennial Conference Field Hockey Preseason Poll. The Blue Jays received all 10 possible first-place votes and 100 points to land atop the poll of CC head coaches.
Swarthmore, the 2023 conference runner-up, was picked second with 88 points and the remaining first-place nod. Franklin & Marshall (77) edged Bryn Mawr (73) and Ursinus (69) for third position in the rankings, while Dickinson (52) was projected as the sixth and final playoff team.
Muhlenberg (39), Washington College (35), Haverford (32), Gettysburg (30) and McDaniel (10) rounded out the voting.
The 2024 season begins on Friday, Aug. 30 with eight teams in action on opening day. The other three squads will kick off their campaigns on Saturday, Aug. 30. Conference play will commence on Saturday, Sept. 28, with the six-team CC playoffs set for Nov. 5-7-9 at the higher seeds.
2024 Centennial Conference Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Johns Hopkins (10) |
100 |
| 2. Swarthmore (1) |
88 |
| 3. Franklin & Marshall |
77 |
| 4. Bryn Mawr |
73 |
| 5. Ursinus |
69 |
| 6. Dickinson |
52 |
| 7. Muhlenberg |
39 |
| 8. Washington College |
35 |
| 9. Haverford |
32 |
| 10. Gettysburg |
30 |
| 11. McDaniel |
10 |
2024 Schedule | 2023 Championship Results | 2023 All-Centennial Team | History & Records
The Centennial was represented in the national championship game for the fourth year in a row last fall, with Johns Hopkins falling to Middlebury in the title showdown for the third straight season. Prior to that, Franklin & Marshall secured a spot in the finals in 2019, dropping its matchup against the perennially-powerful Panthers.
The question remains as to when someone will knock Middlebury off its perch atop Division III, but the top teams in the Centennial remain better suited than anyone else in the country to do so. With a pair of All-Americans, 10 All-Region picks and an astounding 22 players with All-Centennial laurels back in the fold this fall, the pieces are in place across the conference for yet another banner year of CC field hockey. All 11 teams welcome back at least one all-star to the roster, showcasing the parity of talent spread throughout the conference.
Ursinus remains the all-time leader with 12 CC titles, followed by Johns Hopkins (9), Gettysburg (5), Swarthmore (3), Franklin & Marshall (2), McDaniel (1), and Washington College (1). Nine teams have qualified for the CC postseason over the past four seasons, another example of the depth of talent throughout the conference.
JHU defender Liz Falterer highlights the list of returners as the reigning CC Defensive Player of the Year and a 2023 First Team All-America pick by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). Bryn Mawr's Hazel Miller is the other returning All-American, having earned second team accolades in 2022.
A trio of players own multiple All-Region honors to their names entering 2023 - the Bryn Mawr duo of Eva Yacura and Reba Ervin, and Washington College's Kat Esposito. That trio is joined by F&M's Kat Thistlewaite and McDaniel's Reagan Cushman as returning players with multiple All-Centennial laurels on their resumes.
The NFHCA preseason poll will be announced on Tuesday, Aug. 27, with the Centennial figuring to be well-represented in the national rankings entering the season.
Returning All-Americans (2)
Hazel Miller, Bryn Mawr, Sr., F/M (2022 Second Team)
Liz Falterer, Johns Hopkins, Sr., D (2023 First Team)
Returning All-Region (10)
Hazel Miller, Bryn Mawr, Sr., F/M (2022 First Team)
Eva Yacura, Bryn Mawr, Sr., M (2023 First Team, 2022 First Team)
Reba Ervin, Bryn Mawr, Sr., F (2023 Second Team, 2022 Second Team)
Meghan Dole, Franklin & Marshall, So., GK (2023 Second Team)
Liz Falterer, Johns Hopkins, Sr., D (2023 First Team)
Erin DeSandro, Muhlenberg, Jr., F (2023 Second Team)
Sophia Hitchingham, Swarthmore, Sr., F (2023 Second Team)
Mary Lauren Franz, Ursinus, Sr., F (2023 Second Team)
Maeve Montgomery, Ursinus, Sr., D (2023 Second Team)
Kat Esposito, Washington College, Sr., F (2022 First Team, 2021 Second Team)
Returning All-Centennial (22)
Hazel Miller, Bryn Mawr, Sr., F/M (2022 First Team & Offensive POTY)
Eva Yacura, Bryn Mawr, Sr., M (2023 First Team, 2022 First Team)
Reba Ervin, Bryn Mawr, Sr., F/M (2023 Second Team, 2022 Second Team)
Maggie Barilla, Bryn Mawr, Jr., M (2023 Honorable Mention)
Novy Goetgeluk, Bryn Mawr, Sr., F (2023 Honorable Mention)
Natalie Slusser, Dickinson, Jr., D (2023 Second Team)
Meghan Dole, Franklin & Marshall, So., GK (2023 First Team & Rookie OTY)
Kat Thistlewaite, Franklin & Marshall, Jr., D (2023 Second Team, 2022 Honorable Mention & Rookie OTY)
Katie Regan, Gettysburg, Sr., D (2023 Second Team)
Zoey Despines, Haverford, Sr., M (2023 Honorable Mention)
Liz Falterer, Johns Hopkins, Sr., D (2023 First Team & Defensive POTY)
Jenna Halpin, Johns Hopkins, Sr., M (2023 Honorable Mention)
Reagan Cushman, McDaniel, Jr., F/M (2023 Honorable Mention, 2021 Honorable Mention)
Erin DeSandro, Muhlenberg, Jr., F (2023 First Team)
Abba Diglio, Muhlenberg, Jr., F (2023 Second Team)
Katherine Kohn, Swarthmore, Sr., F (2023 First Team)
Sophia Hitchingham, Swarthmore, Sr., F (2023 Second Team)
Mary Lauren Franz, Ursinus, Sr., F (2023 First Team)
Maeve Montgomery, Ursinus, Sr., D (2023 First Team)
Marie Brainard, Ursinus, So., F (2023 Honorable Mention)
MaryCate Anson, Washington College, Jr., M (2023 Second Team)
Kat Esposito, Washington College, Sr., F (2022 First Team, 2021 Second Team & Rookie OTY)
