LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team was picked to finish fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division as announced in the PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll released by the league office Tuesday.

Shippensburg received all five first-place votes and is predicted to win the PSAC-West followed by Mercyhurst, Mansfield, Indiana (Pa.) and Slippery Rock.

Bloomsburg was an overwhelming favorite in the PSAC-East, earning all five first-place votes as well.  East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Millersville and C.W. Post round out the PSAC-East rankings.

Slippery Rock posted a record of 3-16 in 2009. The Rock will be led by first-year head coach Julie Zoolkoski who will look to improve upon the three-win season with a squad that returns nine players that made at least 10 starts last year.

Overall, SRU will welcome back 17 players from a season ago including three All-PSAC Western Division performers. In addition to the returnees, seven Rock freshmen will be making their collegiate debuts.

“We have a strong senior class,” Zoolkoski said. “Having a solid group like that in addition to returning our leading scorer is a real strength. We are fortunate to have so many contributors from last year back this season.”

Headlining the six-women senior class is goalie Lisa Belcastro who is back after a junior year that saw the net minder set career-bests in goals allowed (52), goals against average (2.64) and save percentage (.769). Belcastro, who was the first Slippery Rock goalie to earn All-PSAC status, led the league in saves (173) and saves per game (9.11). Her saves per game and save percentage were good enough to be ranked third and fifth in the country respectively.

Samantha Badaczewski made 17 starts last season and scored three goals while setting personal-bests of four assists and a team-high 19 shots on goal. Fellow senior Katie Krouse tied sophomore Gabrielle Malishchak for the team lead in goals with four while also firing off a team-high 36 shots and adding one assist.

Allie Hartman and Karen Citroen have combined to play in 67 games for The Rock during their careers. Hartman scored three points off of one goal and one assist while Citroen appeared in nine games last year, making one start.

With 39 career games under her belt, senior Meghan Dougherty will provide Slippery Rock with invaluable experience.

SRU's junior class is a seven-member unit that will be counted on to help get The Rock on the right track.

Erin Moran played her way onto the All-PSAC West Second Team after a season in which she made a team-high three defensive saves in 19 starts. Moran, who has five career points and eight defensive saves, also had four shots on goal in 2009.

Adding to the Rock defense will be Teresa Elliott who has started 36 of 37 games in her collegiate career.

After appearing in only 12 games as a freshman, Rebecca Coleman started 16 games as a sophomore and ended the year with seven points off of three goals and one assist.

Skylar Brosse has started every game she's played in for Slippery Rock during her career. Last season, Brosse scored once with six shots on goal.

Also back in 2010 are McHenze Long, Brittany Schultz and Lauren Beeker. Long and Schultz played in three and five games respectively in 2009 while Beeker will act as Belcastro's backup at goalie.

Now with a year of collegiate field hockey experience to their name, four sophomores will be back including one All-PSAC West performer.

Malishchak wasted little time establishing herself as one of SRU's go-to players during her freshman campaign; totaling a team-high 10 points (four goals and two assists). Malishchak, who had two game-winning goals, was rewarded for her efforts at the end of the year with places on the All-PSAC West Second Team and the womensfieldhockey.com Division II All-Rookie Squad.

Grace Bathurst also had a strong run as a freshman, playing in all 19 games in 2009 with 18 starts.

Kelly Drumheller started two games last season and Liana Pittman made three appearances.

SRU's incoming freshmen class are all coming to Slippery Rock after distinguished prep careers that were flush with team championships and individual accolades.

One of the most decorated incoming recruits is Amanda Scheel, who is one of two Fredericksburg, Va. natives playing for The Rock this year from Chancellor High School. Scheel brings with her a state championship as well as all-state and all-region recognition.

Here teammate at Chancellor was Rebecca Williams, who set a team single-season record for goals scored as a senior in 2009.

Allison Banks was an all-state honorable mention choice as a senior at Coughlin and Kaitlin McGinnis joins the SRU family after a senior season that landed the Twin Valley graduate an all-conference selection.

Rounding out the freshmen are Kassondra Spangler, who is a product of field hockey powerhouse Kent Roosevelt, Biglerville High School's Meghan McKinney and Alexa Llagas; an honorable mention LVIAC selection as a senior at Easton High School.

Competing in the always-demanding PSAC-Western Division, Slippery Rock will play home and away contests with Western Division rivals Shippensburg, Mercyhurst, Indiana (Pa.) and Mansfield as well as Millersville, C.W. Post, Kutztown, Bloomsburg and East Stroudsburg out of the Eastern Division.

In non-conference action, SRU will host Seton Hill, Bellarmine, Mercy College and Limestone College. Six opponents were ranked in the top 10 by National Field Hockey Coaches Association to end last season and three made the 2009 NCAA Division II Tournament including eventual champion Bloomsburg.

Slippery Rock's 2010 opponents posted a combined record of 124-101. Six SRU opponents were ranked in the NFHCA Division II Preseason Poll.

“I don't think there is anyone in Division II that you can take lightly,” Zoolkoski said. “This is a very competitive schedule.”

With a great mix of youth and experience, the 2010 edition of the Slippery Rock field hockey team looks poised for one of its best seasons in several years. Slippery Rock's season will officially get underway at 7 p.m. Sept. 8 vs. Seton Hill at Thompson Stadium.