FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BATES FIELD HOCKEY EARNS ECAC TOURNAMENT BERTH

LEWISTON, Maine -- For the first time in program history, the Bates College field hockey team will take part in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Division III championship tournament. The seventh-seeded Bobcats (7-7) travel to Springfield, Mass., to take on the second-seeded Springfield College Pride (18-4), on Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.

After starting the season 0-4, the Bobcats won seven of their last 10 games, including their last two in overtime over in-state rivals University of Southern Maine and Colby College.

The Bobcats are coached by first-year head coach Wynn Hohlt, who reached the postseason five out of six years as a head coach at Plymouth State. Bates has never been to the ECAC tournament. The team's last post-season tournament which included teams throughout New England was in 1983, in the now-defunct New England Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) tournament.

"I am really pleased to be a part of this team," Hohlt said. "After a difficult stretch of games to start the season, this was a big boost for the program."

Bates and Springfield have met just once before, with Springfield taking a 3-2 decision in 1974. The teams have played six common opponents. Both teams defeated Connecticut College and lost to NCAA championship Middlebury College and Trinity College. Both lost in overtime loss to Williams College. Springfield College has home wins over Plymouth State College (3-1) and NCAA qualifier Keene State (4-0), while Bates lost to both teams on the road (1-0 and 3-0). The Pride were ranked eighth in the nation in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association NCAA Division III poll.

In other ECAC first-round match-ups, No. 1 Bowdoin plays host to No. 8 Colby; No. 3 Amherst plays host to No. 6 Clark; and No. 4 Wellesley plays host to No. 5 MIT.