University of Massachusets Athletics

Atlantic 10 Coaches Forecast The Fall Season

Atlantic 10 Coaches Forecast The Fall Season Five UMass teams will compete for conference crowns in the fall.
Patty Shea's field hockey team has been picked first by the A-10 coaches. It has had three consecutive undefeated seasons.

Patty Shea's field hockey team has been picked first by the A-10 coaches. It has had three consecutive undefeated seasons.

Aug. 21, 2002

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Atlantic 10 Conference announced the head coaches predictions for the upcoming fall season this morning. Massachusetts is predicted to finish no worse than fourth place in any race as it seeks its seventh Commissioners's Cup in nine years.

After a third-place finish in 2001, Ken O'Brien's men's cross country sqaud is predicted to finish in third again. La Salle and Richmond are the two schools expected to finish higher. Julie LaFreniere's women's cross country team is predicted to place fourth, the same spot it finished in 2001. The 2002 Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championships will be held Nov. 2 at Schenley Park in Pittsburgh, Pa., with Duquesne University as the host.

Patty Shea's field hockey team is predicted to take its seventh consecutive title. The Minutewomen have been undefeated in conference play the last three seasons and posted an 11-10 overall record in 2001. Richmond will host the 2002 A-10 Field Hockey Championship, Nov. 8-9.

After missing the A-10 Tournament for the first time in history, the coaches have predicted Jim Rudy's women's soccer team to finish third. The Minutewomen were 10-6 overall last season and finished fifth in conference play with a 7-4 record. The University of Dayton will host the 2002 A-10 Women's Soccer Championship, Nov. 8-10. Dayton and Richmond are predicted to finish higher than UMass.

Sam Koch's men's soccer team is predicted to finish in third as well. Last season, the Minutemen went 15-6-1 overall and won their first conference tournament. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament and beat Creighton in the first round before losing to seventh-ranked St. John's, 1-0. Rhode Island and Richmond are the only two schools expected to finish higher. Richmond will host the 2002 A-10 Men's Soccer Championship, Nov. 15-17.

In field hockey, men's and women's soccer, if the host institution does not qualify for the Championship, it will be moved to the home of the highest-seeded team.