PHILADELPHIA – The Ivy League announced the 2021 field hockey preseason poll on Wednesday, as the University of Pennsylvania field hockey program came in at No. 3 with 83 points.
 
The last time the Ivy League was in competition was the 2019 season, seeing the Quakers tie for third place with Cornell at a 4-3 tally. With an experienced group returning for the 2021 slate, Penn has a strong offensive front that returns the three leading scorers from 2019 in Elita Van Staden, Maddy Fagan and Madison Jiranek. Van Staden paced the squad with seven goals, while Fagan put away five goals and three assists and Jiranek added five finishes and two helpers.
 
The backline is headed by senior Gracyn Banks, who has spent the summer with USA field hockey and is currently in Chile for the 2021 Junior Pan American Championship.
 
Princeton sits atop the poll with 125 points and 13 first-place votes, and Harvard comes in at No. 2 with 112 points and the final three first-place votes. The two programs have combined for the last 15 Ivy League titles, dating back to 2004 when Penn tied with Harvard as co-champions with 6-1 tallies. The Quakers come in at No. 3 followed by Cornell in the fourth spot with 74 points. Yale, Columbia, Brown, and Dartmouth round out the poll.
 
The season kicks off with the ACC/Ivy League Conference Crossover at Princeton on Friday, September 3, seeing Penn take on two standout programs in Louisville and reigning national champion North Carolina. The Ivy League slate opens on Friday, September 24 against Princeton on Ellen Vagelos Field.
 
 
2021 IVY LEAGUE FIELD HOCKEY PRESEASON POLL 

1. Princeton (13)        125 pts.
2. Harvard (3)             112
3. Penn                      83
4. Cornell                   74
5. Yale                       67
6. Columbia               64
7. Brown                    29
8. Dartmouth             22