WINTHROP, MASS. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) announced the 2021 field hockey preseason poll on Thursday. Colby-Sawyer College was picked third after receiving 106 points.
 
The Chargers will be led by third-year head coach Emily Dewdney. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the field hockey team did not participate in the 2020 fall season. Colby-Sawyer returns graduate student Julia Lanctot (Sandown, N.H.) who currently ranks third all-time in assists. The Chargers also have junior Bella Silva (Danvers, Mass.) coming back for the 2021 season. Silva had eight points for Colby-Sawyer in its last season of competition. Senior Chrissy Coffield (North Conway, N.H.) returns for the Chargers. She scored two goals in 2019. On defense, graduate student Chelsea Perry (Oakland, Maine) will be the team's leader.
 
Saint Joseph's College of Maine received eight first-place votes to take home the title of number one in this year's 2021 preseason field hockey poll. Lasell University took the second spot after receiving 133 points. Colby-Sawyer came in third, followed by Simmons University in fourth and Anna Maria College in fifth. Regis College, Johnson & Wales, and Rivier University finished in the sixth, seventh, and eighth spots. Rounding out the list was Elms College, Dean College, Universitiy of Saint Joseph (Conn), and Albertus Mangus College.

The Chargers will open the season on the road at Elms College on September 1.
 
2021 GNAC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
1. Saint Joseph's Maine (8) - 140
2. Lasell (3) - 133
3. Colby-Sawyer - 106
4. Simmons - 104
5. Anna Maria (1) - 99
6. Regis - 83
7. Johnson & Wales - 81
8. Rivier - 63
9. Elms - 47
10. Dean - 32
11. USJ - 30
12. Albertus Magnus - 18