SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. – The Shippensburg University field hockey team is ranked No. 1 in the second edition of the 2023 NCAA Atlantic Region rankings released Wednesday.
 
The NCAA regional rankings are annually used to determine the teams that qualify for the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships.

Shippensburg (13-3) sits ahead of East Stroudsburg (13-2), who holds a head-to-head victory over the Raiders. Mount Olive (14-1), which has the best record in Division II, sits third. Kutztown (13-2) and Bloomsburg (13-3) round out the Top 5 (BU's loss to Mansfield yesterday is not reflected in this week's rankings).
 
Rankings are released every Wednesday afternoon until the announcement of the tournament field, which is set for 3 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 6. Each set of rankings includes all games played through the previous Sunday.
 
Three teams from each of the two regions (Atlantic, East) will advance to the 2023 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships following the completion of the regular season and respective conference championships.
 
Conference champions (PSAC, NE-10, SAC) do not receive automatic berths into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Upon selection, the six qualifying teams will be re-seeded No. 1 through No. 6 without consideration for region.
 
Shippensburg is in the Atlantic Region, which is comprised of all field hockey teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) as well as Frostburg State and Maryville – a total of 21 squads. The East Region is comprised of all 14 field hockey teams that compete in the Northeast-10 Conference as well as Roberts Wesleyan.
 
2023 NCAA Division II Field Hockey Championships Facts:
• The announcement of the tournament field is set for Monday, November 6, at 3 p.m. via webcast on ncaa.com.
• The regional rankings committees are tasked with assigning teams based on the following criteria, per the NCAA pre-championship manual: Division II in-region winning percentage; Division II winning percentage; Division II strength of schedule (opponents' average winning percentage and opponents' opponents' average winning percentage); Division II head-to-head competition and results versus Division II common opponents. Additional criteria specific to field hockey includes: late-season performance (last seven games of season), Performance Indicator (PI) and Rating Percentage Index (RPI).
• The NCAA Quarterfinals (No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed; No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 seed) will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11. The higher seed is slated to host each quarterfinal pending it meets the requirements defined by the NCAA.
• The NCAA Semifinals will be held Friday, Nov. 17 at Grappone Stadium on the campus of Saint Anselm (Manchester, N.H.).
• The NCAA Division II Championship game will be held Sunday, Nov. 19 at Grappone Stadium on the campus of Saint Anselm (Manchester, N.H.).