NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Richmond has been selected as the preseason favorite for the 2016 Atlantic 10 Conference field hockey race. The league announced the annual Preseason Poll and Preseason All-Conference team Wednesday ahead of the start of the season Friday.

The Spiders were chosen first in the poll with 76 total points and four first-place votes. Richmond, which won the regular season last year, looks for its ninth A-10 championship title. Senior Megan Miller and junior Kelly Quinn, who were voted to the Preseason All-Conference team, will anchor UR’s push for a A-10 title.  Quinn had seven goals and three assists in 2015, and was the Spiders’ leading scorer. Richmond finished with an overall record of 12-9, and a A-10 record of 7-1.

Massachusetts checked in at second on the poll with 73 overall points and four first-place votes. The Minutewomen, who won the A-10 Championship last year, were second in the regular season standings in 2015 with an overall record of 12-9, and an A-10 record of 5-3. They look to repeat in 2016 under leadership of Interim Coach, Amy Roberston. A member of the 2015 Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team, Izzie Delario returns after a stellar 2015 season of seven goals and 12 assists to help the Minutewomen make it back to the finals in 2016.  UMass will look to clinch a 15th regular-season title and 15th A-10 championship crown.

Saint Joseph’s rounded out the top three with 64 points and one first-place vote. In 2015, the Hawks finished fifth in the regular season with a 9-9 record overall, and a 4-3 record in the A-10. They qualified for the A-10 Championship for the first time since 2009 last season, and were defeated in the semifinals by eventual champion UMass.

Davidson and Lock Haven tied for fourth in the poll with 45 points each. Saint Francis was picked sixth with 40 points and VCU was seventh with 31 points. La Salle and Saint Louis rounded out the poll. Lock Haven and Saint Francis are affiliate members of the Atlantic 10 in field hockey.

The league’s nine head coaches voted in the poll and for the Preseason All-Conference Team.

The 2016 Atlantic 10 field hockey season gets underway on Friday with six season-opening matches. Conference play begins on Friday, Sept. 16 and the 2016 Atlantic 10 Championship will be played at Cary Street Field in Richmond, Va., Nov. 4-5.

 2016 Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Preseason Poll