Merrimack, which advanced to the Second Round of the Division II NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament and finished as the national runner-up in the Division II NCAA Field Hockey Tournament, was one of nine Northeast-10 Conference teams recognized and was second only to Stonehill (7) in terms of placement in the fall standings. Points were awarded for selection and advancement in the following fall sports: men’s and women’s cross country; field hockey; men’s and women’s soccer; men’s water polo. To review scoring structure, please click here.
The 14th-place finish through the fall update is the highest ever at any stage of the Learfield Cup since NACDA and USA TODAY developed the award to reward overall achievement in NCAA Championships at the Division II level in 1995-96. The Warriors’ previous high following the fall sports season was a 36th-place standing in the 2011-12 academic year. Merrimack’s highest-ever overall finish was a 73rd-place performance at the end of the 2014-15 academic year.
Merrimack garnered 140 total points in the fall standings to earn its No. 14 spot in the rankings of nearly 120 total schools that participated in at least one Division II NCAA Tournament/Championship event in the fall season.
The men’s soccer team was responsible for 50 of those points after earning an at-large berth in the Big Dance for the third time in the past four years. The Warriors advanced to East Region Semifinal after defeating Le Moyne in the opening round.
The field hockey team hauled in 90 more points after advancing to the national title game for the first time in school history, as the Warriors’ fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years was their most memorable one. Merrimack finished as national runner-up and came within an overtime goal of winning the tournament.
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