Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

GLEN ALLEN, Va. - For the fourth straight week, the University of Delaware field hockey team held its spot at No. 17 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll announced today.

During the team’s action last week, Delaware (11-4) defeated Towson in a thrilling 6-5 contest at Rullo Stadium. The victory was the squad’s 11th in its last 13 games.

Casey Howard and Rachel Schexnayder (at right) helped secure the win for the Blue Hens as the two senior standouts became the first pair of teammates to post hat-tricks in the same game. It marked the third hat-trick of the season for Howard, while it was the first of Schexnayder’s career.

Howard currently leads the Blue Hens and ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association with 20 goals. Her 44 points are also a team-high and stand third in the CAA. Both of those totals are also tied for the single-season program record set by Michelle Rosenbaum in 1988.

With her performance this season, Howard has also vaulted up the all-time career lists at Delaware. She now ranks third all-time with 49 goals and 108 points.

Along with Howard, Missy Woodie, Rae Everson, and Kimmy Schlezes have also helped guide Delaware’s offensive attack. Woodie is tied for fifth in the CAA with eight assists, while Everson and Schlezes are tied for seventh with seven.

Michelle Drummonds and Noelle Diana have made incredible impacts this season as well. Drummonds leads the conference with six defensive saves, while Diana is tied for the league-lead with three shutouts.

The Blue Hens are currently one of three teams from the CAA in the national rankings. Drexel is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation, while James Madison is 11th. Old Dominion, Hofstra, and Northeastern are also receiving votes in the poll

Maryland currently holds the top spot in the rankings, while North Carolina stands second. Virginia, Princeton, and Syracuse round out the top-five.

Delaware will return to action on Friday when the team hosts Hofstra at 7 p.m.

AGATE:

2009 Kookaburra / NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll (October 27): 1. Maryland (58 first-places votes), 1178 points. 2. North Carolina ,1113. 3. Virginia, 1052. 4. Princeton (1), 976. 5. Syracuse, 871. 6. Wake Forest, 856. 7. UConn, 832. 8. Michigan State, 780. 9. Boston College, 689. 10. Drexel, 595. 11. James Madison, 529. 12. Stanford, 432. 13. Ohio State, 419. 14. Duke, 390. 15. Louisville, 387. 16. Albany, 250. 17. Delaware, 248. 18. Indiana, 157. 19. UMass, 137. 20. Northwestern, 108.