Somerset, NJ - Saint Francis U won a split decision to finish atop the NEC Bowling Preseason Coaches’ Poll for the second time in its history.

The Red Flash, who have finished the NEC regular season in third place or higher each of the past five years, garnered three first-place votes in the annual survey of the conference’s head coaches, whom are not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Sacred Heart, which has advanced to the NEC championship match each of the previous three seasons, earned two top nods and finished second in the 2017-18 preseason predicted order-of-finish.

Taking third place in the poll, defending NEC champion Fairleigh Dickinson secured the remaining two first-place votes.

LIU Brooklyn finished fourth followed by Duquesne in the fifth spot. St. Francis Brooklyn and Caldwell rounded out the selections in sixth and seventh, respectively.

All seven Northeast Conference teams will contest two league-sponsored regular season meets. The results from those two weekends will determine the seeding for the 2018 NEC Bowling Tournament, which is set for March 23-25 at Howell Lanes in New Jersey.

Six of the NEC’s seven members earned spots in the preseason edition of the National Tenpins Coaches Association Top 25 Poll. The top-three finishers in the NEC preseason poll garnered top-15 status in the national rankings led by Fairleigh Dickinson in eighth. Sacred Heart was ninth while NEC preseason favorite Saint Francis U came in at No. 14.

Saint Francis last earned the league’s No. 1 preseason ranking back at the start of the 2013-14 campaign and went on to capture its only NEC Tournament title later that year. There are no holdovers from that 2014 championship team, but Tom Falbo’s roster is not lacking in firepower.

The Red Flash return the top-six bowlers from last year’s team including all-NEC first team selection Haley Carroll. Sophomores Kelsey Edwards and Amanda Balas occupied two of the five spots on the league’s all-rookie team last winter. Set for her junior season, Kyra Udziela looks to recapture the form that landed her on the All-NEC First Team as a freshman.

Led by reigning two-time NEC Coach of the Year Becky Kregling, three-time NEC champion Sacred Heart has perennially been one of the nation’s top-tier programs. The Pioneers’ lineup features southpaw Amanda Nardiello, the 2017 NEC Bowler of the Year who averaged more than 21.0 pins per frame during league play.

Despite some roster turnover, Fairleigh Dickinson has plenty of potential for another championship run. Senior Karsyn Lukosius, who has earned multiple all-NEC selections, gives head coach Michael Lopresti a battle-tested veteran to build around. The Knights welcome in a star-studded recruiting class that includes the 2017 New Jersey State High School champion.

LIU Brooklyn enters the season with an experienced group assembled by head coach Kayla Jones, a former All-American during her playing days at Kutztown. Seniors Lauren McKowen and Kristina Genova have been key contributors to a program that was a combined 31 matches over the .500 mark the past two seasons.

Set for its second season of competition, Duquesne has already garnered the respect of its peers within the collegiate bowling community. Head coach Jody Fetterhoff adds five freshmen to a group of returnees that accounted for at least one win over a top-16 team during each of the last three tournaments of the 2016-17 season.

St. Francis Brooklyn has a roster full of underclasswomen except for seniors Emma Catone and Megan Kuehne. Head coach Dawn Gugliaro will look for the two returning starters to fulfill a leadership role on the lanes.

Caldwell, which is in its fourth year as a collegiate program, has won at least one NEC Tournament match each of the past two seasons. All five starters, including veterans Daniele Roca and Amanda Scharf, from last year’s squad return for head coach Ken Yokobosky. The Cougars will also receive a lift from senior Natalie Pedri, who is ready for action after a bout with cancer sidelined her last season.