Longwood University Athletics

FARMVILLE, Va. – Off to a 5-2 start that includes the program's first-ever win over a top-25 team in the Division I era, the Longwood field hockey team received the No. 19 ranking in the first release of the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index announced this week.
 
The top-20 ranking is the highest the Lancers have ever reached in the NCAA's national Division I ranking system, surpassing the No. 40 spot the Lancers achieved twice during their historic 2017 season.
 
Longwood's No. 19 spot is third highest of all Virginia schools, trailing only No. 8 Old Dominion (7-0) and No. 10 Virginia (3-3). The Lancers came in ahead of Commonwealth neighbors No. 20 Liberty (4-2), No. 25 William & Mary (3-2) and No. 29 James Madison, all of whom appeared in the top 30 of the 77-team list.
 
The Mid-American Conference's first five-win team this season, the Lancers have stormed out to a 5-2 start despite a challenging non-conference schedule that included three matchups against top-25 teams. Longwood pulled out a historic win against No. 20 Liberty during that gauntlet, upsetting the Flames 2-1 on the road, while also standing tall against No. 7 Virginia in a hard-fought 2-0 defeat in Charlottesville.
 
Tuesday's top-20 ranking is the latest feat in a three-year run that has seen Longwood field hockey climb the ranks of the MAC and, as of the first RPI release of 2018, now the NCAA. Now in their fifth year as a member of the MAC, the Lancers have qualified for the four-team MAC Championship tournament in back-to-back years, earning the No. 4 seed in 2016, the No. 3 seed in 2017 and receiving the conference's preseason No. 2 ranking in the annual preseason coaches poll.
 
Key to Longwood's hot start to 2018 has been a staunch backline anchored by two-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week Katie Wyman, who leads the conference in both goals against average and save percentage. The Lancers have allowed the fewest goals of any MAC team and rank tied for 16th nationally in that category, allowing multiple goals just twice in their first seven games.
 
The Lancers have also held their own on the offensive end of the field with a frontline anchored by senior forward Leonie Verstraete, a two-time All-MAC selection who ranks tied for third in the conference with four of Longwood's 12 goals. Olivia Wawrzyniak has also delivered three goals, including a MAC-best two game-winners in Longwood's five wins.
 
The No. 19 ranking comes in the 11th season at the helm for Iain Byers, who is now just three wins away from securing his 100th career victory as Longwood's head coach.
 
Longwood will put its No. 19 ranking on the line this evening, Thursday, Sept. 20, in its second MAC showdown of the year on the road at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.
 
NCAA Field Hockey Ratings Percentage Index (RPI)
Top-30 Rankings

Rk.	School	Conference	Record
1.	North Carolina	ACC	7-0
2.	Maryland	Big Ten	8-0
3.	Duke	ACC	6-2
4.	UConn	Big East	7-0
5.	Princeton	Ivy League	5-2
6.	Louisville	ACC	6-2
7.	California	America East	3-3
8.	Old Dominion	Big East	7-0
9.	Rutgers	Big Ten	6-1
10.	Virginia	ACC	3-3
11.	Syracuse	ACC	4-3
12.	Saint Joseph's	Atlantic 10	4-2
13.	Penn	Ivy League	3-3
14.	Penn St.	Big Ten	5-2
15.	Michigan	Big Ten	5-3
16.	Boston College	ACC	3-3
17.	Delaware	CAA	4-4
18.	Northwestern	Big Ten	5-4
19.	Longwood	MAC	5-2
20.	Liberty	Big East	4-2
21.	Maine	America East	7-0
22.	Iowa	Big Ten	7-1
23.	Boston U.	Patriot	5-3
24.	UMass Lowell	America East	4-2
25.	William & Mary	CAA	3-2
26.	Harvard	Ivy League	5-1
27.	Michigan St.	Big Ten	3-5
28.	Georgetown	Big East	6-1
29.	James Madison	CAA	2-3
30.	Quinnipiac	Big East	3-4

*Virginia schools in bold
 
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