GORHAM, Maine  – For the first time since 2003 and for the sixth time in program history, the University of Southern Maine Huskies field hockey team is headed to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament.  The Huskies (15-7) claimed the Little East Conference's automatic bid to the tournament after winning the LEC's tournament championship nail-biting 1-0 win over Keene State College Owls on Saturday. Southern Maine, the 2023 LEC Regular Season Champion, was the top-seed in the tournament, defeating Castleton University 2-1 in overtime before downing the Owls.
 
Southern Maine will face the Tufts University Jumbos (11-5 overall, 8-2 NESCAC in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament on Wednesday, November 8 (6:00 pm).  Tufts is currently ranked 10^th nationally in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches' Association poll. tickets for the game are $10 for adults, $5 for students and children over 2, $2 for Seniors, and children 2 and under are free. 
 
Led by veteran head coach Bonny Brown Denico '91, '98 (268-266) now in her 26th season, the Huskies claimed their first Little East Conference Championship since the 2003 season.  Winning the 2022 LEC regular season title and falling to Castleton University in the championship game last season 2-1, the Huskies are making their sixth appearance overall in the NCAA tournament.
 
Southern Maine finished the 2023 Little East Conference regular season undefeated with a 6-0 record, including a thrilling 5-4 overtime victory against Keene State and a 4-3 overtime win at Plymouth State to secure the regular season title. As a team, the Huskies have scored 62 goals this season, and are averaging 2.82 goals per game. In LEC action, USM outscored its opponents 24-9.
 
Individually, several Huskies have had standout performances in 2023 including senior midfielder Hannah Banks (Belfast, Maine), the Little East Conference Championship's Most Outstanding Player.  Banks, a two-time All-LEC pick, has six goals and four assists this season, including the game-winner for the LEC championship.  Two-time National Field Hockey Coaches' Association All-Region forward Sage Drinkwater (Steep Falls, Maine/Bonny Eagle) led USM in points with 11 goals and a team-best nine assists, while senior Brooke Carson (Bryant Pond, Maine/Oxford Hills) had a team-leading 12 goals and six assists for 30 points.
 
Allowing just nine goals in LEC competition, the Huskies' defense is led by 2022 Little East Conference Defensive Player of the Year Jordan Cummings (Auburn, Maine/Edward Little). Playing and starting in all 22 of the Huskies' games, Cummings totaled four defensive saves, and was a driving force in the conference tournament.  Freshman Jenessa Foster (Pittsfield, Maine/Maine Central Institute) had a breakout season as a rookie, earning LEC Defensive Player of the Week honors on three occasions. The Huskies' first-year back had a team-high seven defensive saves.  
 
The 2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship consists of a 26-team field, dedicating 18 slots to automatic qualifying programs, and the remaining eight spaces to at-large candidates chosen by the selection committee. The first round of the tournament will be on Wednesday, November 8 and will be hosted at campus sites.
 
 
 
2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament
Tufts University, Medford, MA Ounjian Field| Wednesday, November 8
 
Who:     Southern Maine (15-7, 6-0 Little East) vs. Tufts University (11-5 Overall, 8-2 NESCAC)
When:   Wednesday, November 8 (6:00 pm)
Where:  Medford, Mass – Ounjian Field
 
Southern Maine Team Info:
Record: 15-7 (6-0 Little East); 2023 Little East Regular Season Champion, 2023 Little East Tournament Champion
Head Coach: Bonny Brown Denico '91, 26 seasons (268-266)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 6 (Most Recent 2003)
All-Time Record in NCAA Tournament Play: 2-6
 
 
Huskies to Watch: Sage Drinkwater, Jr., F, (11 g, 9 a, 31 pts); Brooke Carson, Sr., F, (12 g, 6 a, 30 pts); Abigail Chartier, Jr., F, (11 g, 5 a, 27 pts); Norie Tibbets, Fr., F (9 g, 3 a, 21 pts); Hannah Banks, Sr., M (6 g, 4 a, 16 pts); Mary Keef, Sr., M, (2 g, 7 a, 11 pts); Jordan Cummings, Sr., B, (1 g, 1 a, 3 pts), 4 defensive saves; Jenessa Foster, Fr., B, (1 g, 1 a, 3 pts), 7 defensive saves; Julianna Kiklis, Sr., GK, (4-1), 1.13 GAA, 0.833 save percentage
 
 
 
2023 NCAA Division III NCAA Field Hockey National Championship Tournament
The 18 conferences and schools receiving automatic qualification are:
 

Atlantic East	St. Mary's College
Centennial Conference	Johns Hopkins
Commonwealth Coast Conference	Endicott
Empire 8	Hartwick
Great Northeast Athletic Conference	Johnson & Wales (Providence)
Landmark	Susquehanna
Liberty League	William Smith
Little East Conference Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference	Southern Maine Worcester State
Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth	Messiah
Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom	Stevens
New England Small College Athletic Conference	Middlebury
New England Women's and Men's Athletics Conference	Babson
New Jersey Athletic Conference	Rowan
North Coast Athletic Conference	Denison
Old Dominion Athletic Conference	Lynchburg
State University of New York Athletic Conference United East	SUNY Cortland Keystone

 
 
The Pool B team is: Christopher Newport
 
The seven Pool C teams are: Bates, Ithaca, Kean, Salisbury, Tufts, Williams, York
 
2023 NCAA Division III Field Hockey Tournament Format and Dates
 

• First round: Wednesday, Nov. 8 at campus sites
• Second round: Saturday, Nov. 11 at campus sites
• Third round: Sunday, Nov. 12 at campus sites
• Semifinals: 12 and 3 p.m. ET Friday, Nov. 17 at Jennings Family Stadium in Newport News, Virginia
• National championship: 1 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 19 at Jennings Family Stadium in Newport News, Virginia

 
* - in the case of a participating school having a Sunday No-Play policy
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- cac –