MANSFIELD, Mass. - The Saint Anselm College women's basketball team is projected to finish ninth in the Northeast-10 Conference, according to Wednesday's release of the league's annual Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Hawks start the season in the top 10, earning 50 points after compiling a 12-15 overall record last year, with eight of those wins coming in conference play. Reigning NE10 regular season champion Assumption University checks in at No. 1 in the poll with 117 points and eight out of a possible 12 first-place votes. Bentley University, who were crowned the 2023 NE10 Tournament Champions, are ranked second in the poll after earning 108 points and three first-place votes.  

The Hawks started last season's conference schedule winning six out of their first nine games and earning the No. 9 seed heading into the NE10 Tournament. Saint Anselm fell in the First Round against Pace University by a final score of 60-48. 

The owner of 87 career wins across five seasons of play at Saint Anselm and the program's first East Region Championship in 2018-19, Head Coach Corey Boilard enters his seventh year on the Hilltop in 2023-24. He has also mentored two of the league's last three NE10 Players of the Year (Shannon Ryan '20, Peyton Steinman '22).

Saint Anselm returns a veteran front court ahead of the 2023-24 season, with two of their top three scorers in junior Melanie Hoyt (Stamford, N.Y.) and fifth-year Liv Robles (Wallingford, Conn.) rejoining the Hawks' roster. Both forwards averaged over 11 points per game, while Robles also grabbed a team-high 7.7 rebounds per game, good enough for seventh in the conference. Hoyt's best individual game came against Adelphi University on January 28 when she scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Also returning for the Hawks is sharpshooter Alexa Quirolo (New Rochelle, N.Y.), who fired 27 three-point field goals at a team-best 42% clip last season.

Saint Anselm bolstered their roster with the addition of two freshmen and three transfers during the offseason, including sophomore Tatum Forbes (Pawtucket, R.I.) from the University of Hartford, sophomore Anna Nelson (Gorham, Maine) from Dartmouth College, and junior Marta Pons Gomez (Sevilla, Spain) from Northeast Community College.

Saint Anselm opens the season at the Southern Connecticut State Tournament, taking on Mercy University on Saturday, November 11 before facing Georgian Court University on Sunday, November 12. The Hawks open their home slate with Post University on Saturday, November 18 from Stoutenburgh Gymnasium.

NE10 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES POLL
    1. Assumption - 117 (8)
    2. Bentley - 108 (3)   
    3. Southern New Hampshire - 107 (1)
    4. Southern Connecticut - 84
    5. Pace - 69
    6. American International - 62
    7. Adelphi - 60
    8. New Haven - 58
    9 Saint Anselm - 50
    10. Franklin Pierce - 37
    11. Saint Rose - 26
    12. Saint Michael's - 14

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