Penn Monto / NFHCA National Poll KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University field hockey team moved up one spot and is ranked fifth in Division II in the latest Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Poll, released Tuesday morning.
This marks the second consecutive week that Kutztown (4-2) has been ranked in the NFHCA National Rankings and it is the first time since Nov. 9, 2010 that KU is ranked as high as fifth in the poll.
West Chester is ranked first for the second consecutive week and will play second-ranked Millersville on Wednesday night. Shippensburg is third, East Stroudsburg is ranked fourth in the poll, Limestone is sixth and Bloomsburg ranks seventh. LIU Post, Saint Anselm and Franklin Pierce round out the top 10.
Kutztown is led on offense this year by senior
Anna Behm (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown), who is leading both the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and Division II in multiple statistical categories. Behm sits atop the PSAC and national leaderboard in goals (9), goals per game (1.5), points (20) and points per game (3.33). She also leads the PSAC with three game-winning goals and is tied for fifth in the conference with two assists.
Behm is climbing up the rankings in multiple categories in the KU record book. She currently ranks sixth all-time in career goals with 43 and is four points away from becoming the eighth player in Kutztown history to crack the 100 point mark.
Junior
Megan Tiwold (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) is also off to a strong start for the Golden Bears, recording four goals and an assist. She is tied for seventh in the PSAC with four goals and is tied for eighth in the conference with nine total points.
Goalkeeper
Kayla Denlinger (Manheim, Pa./Hempfield) has played great on the defensive end for Kutztown, recording 35 saves, a .854 save percentage (Third in Division II) and 1.04 goals against average in six games. She also has one individual shutout and was part of a combined shutout with
Chardonnay Hope (New Castle, Del./William Penn). Denlinger was recently named PSAC Athlete of the Week for her efforts against West Chester and Indiana (Pa.).
As a team, Kutztown ranks third in the PSAC and 10th in Division II with 2.67 goals per game. The Golden Bears are allowing 1.17 goals per game, which ranks inside the top 10 in both the PSAC and Division II.
The next matchup for the No. 5 Golden Bears is against No. 3 Shippensburg on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. at Andre Reed Stadium.
