Drexel Touted 2025 CAA Field Hockey Preseason Favorites; Dragons' Van Hellemont Named Preseason Player Of The Year 8/21/2025 12:00:00 PM Ben Kane RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 21, 2025) – Drexel, which claimed the CAA field hockey regular-season title in 2024, has been crowned the 2025 preseason favorite according to the league’s head coaches. Claiming first-place votes from each of its five competitors, the Dragons finished with 25 total points in the poll. Last season’s runner-up, Monmouth, garnered the second spot with 20 points while Northeastern received one first-place vote alongside its 16 points. Hofstra and Towson each earned 10 points for fourth place in the poll, with William & Mary (9) rounding out the voting. After claiming CAA Player of the Year and All-America honors one year prior, Drexel’s Valentine Van Hellemont received CAA Preseason Player of the Year accolades. The junior had a superb season for the Dragons, becoming the second player in program history to earn CAA Player of the Year honors, alongside being named Drexel’s first All-American since 2012 after earning a spot on the NFHCA Second Team. The Belgian native led the way for Drexel with 22 points on a team-high 11 goals. Drexel (14-5, 6-0 CAA) went undefeated in conference play, highlighted by one of the best defenses in the CAA. Preseason All-CAA selection Alana Poole returns to the cage for the Dragons and will look to build on her .978 goals against average from last season that led the conference. All-CAA First Team selection and Preseason honoree Anna Castaldo is also back for another season after pouring in an impressive nine goals and two assists for 20 points. Monmouth (12-7, 3-3 CAA) entered the 2024 CAA Championship as the four seed and made it to the conference finals. The Hawks return a trio of All-Conference honorees, including Rookie of the Year Milla Frye. The German midfielder/forward led all freshmen with nine goals and sat fifth in the CAA with 21 points. All-CAA First Team Selection and the conference’s leading scorer, Anna Moors, also returns to West Long Branch after a 12-goal campaign in 2024. Northeastern (12-7, 5-1 CAA) pieced together an impressive nine-game win streak last year and will hope to carry that form into the new season on the backs of Preseason All-CAA selection Alex Mega and honorable mentionpick Maya Prasad. Mega netted five goals and tacked on four assists to contribute to the Huskies’ 133 points, which ranked second in the conference and inside the nation’s top-25. Each program was represented on the preseason All-CAA team with at least two student athletes being honored for their respective teams. The CAA field hockey season kicks off on Friday, August 29, with all six programs in action. 2025 CAA FIELD HOCKEY PRESEASON POLL Team (1st Place Votes) Points Drexel (5) 25 Monmouth 20 Northeastern (1) 16 Hofstra 10 Towson 10 William & Mary 9 2025 CAA FIELD HOCKEY PRESEASON AWARDS CAA Preseason Player of the Year Valentine Van Hellemont, Drexel Preseason All-CAA Team Name School Cl. Pos. Hometown Anna Castaldo Drexel Gr. F Endicott, N.Y. Milla Frye Monmouth So. M/F Ratingen, Germany Josie Mae Gruendel William & Mary Jr. F Matthews, N.C. Alex Mega Northeastern Jr. M/F Narragansett, R.I. Jamie Mc Millan Hofstra Sr. D Krefeld, Germany Anna Moors Monmouth Jr. D Tilburg, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands Pilar Penaloza Hofstra Sr. F Buenos Aires, Argentina Marti Sanabria Drexel Sr. M Chascomus, Argentina Valentine Van Hellemont Drexel Jr. F Lier, Belgium Anouk Westerink Towson So. F Ede, Netherlands Tessa Scheenstra Towson Sr. GK Voorburg, Netherlands Alana Poole Drexel R-So. GK Glen Mills, Pa. Honorable Mentions: Fleur Hamers F/M (Drexel); Teresa Karoff D (Hofstra); Maya Prasad M/F (Northeastern); Lilly Ricks F (Monmouth); Emme Schwartz M (William & Mary) Follow the CAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about the CAA’s member institutions and their teams.