Jan. 3, 2012

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - America East field hockey continues to improve and the official NCAA rating percentage index shows the league is among the elite conferences in the country. America East finished third after another impressive season.

Only the ACC and Big Ten finished higher than America East in the RPI. The league improved one spot from last year's final ranking, jumping over the Big East and remaining above the competitive Colonial Athletic Association.

Four conference teams finished in the top 25, including 2011 America East Champion University of New Hampshire which is ranked 12. Other conference tournament participants Albany (14), Boston U. (17) and Maine (23) followed. All six teams landed in the top 50.