SALISBURY, Md. — Presenting Roadie Joes Rankings for the first Wednesday in September, featuring preseason poll appearances from field hockey, football, and volleyball to open the 2026-27 academic year.
Field Hockey — t-5th | Penn Monto/NFHCA Division III National Coaches Poll, Aug. 25 (Preseason)
Salisbury shared the No. 5 spot with Bates College, each posting 359 points to slot between No. 4 Christopher Newport (407) and No. 7 Middlebury (336). Tufts opened the preseason at No. 1 with 450 points, followed by Johns Hopkins (437) and Babson (418).
The Sea Gulls opened the new slate with a 5-1 drubbing of Swarthmore on Tuesday.
Morgan Davis tucked in the first goal late in the first half, while Salisbury tacked on four more after the break.
SU hits the road for the first time this season on Sunday, visiting Stockton at 1 p.m.
Football — 17th | D3football.com Top 25, Preseason
Salisbury enters the preseason ranked 17th nationally with 237 points, sandwiched between No. 16 Berry (238) and No. 18 Christopher Newport (182). North Central opened at No. 1 with all 25 first-place votes, trailed by Bethel (Minn.) and Mount Union.
The Sea Gulls look to build on last year's 10-2 campaign and round-of-16 NCAA Tournament finish. SU opens the season at home against McDaniel on Saturday at 1 p.m. as part of Gold Rush.
Volleyball — Receiving Votes | AVCA-Taraflex Division III WVB Preseason Poll, Aug. 27
Salisbury drew the sixth-most votes among the receiving-votes tier with 45 points, making the Sea Gulls the de facto No. 31 team nationally. SU sat between Franklin & Marshall (54) and Lawrence (35), with Wisconsin-Oshkosh claiming the top overall spot at 1,900 points ahead of Trinity (Texas) and Berry.
The Sea Gulls muscled their way to a 3-0 sweep of Stockton in Tuesday's season opener.
Julie Altieri (25 assists, 16 digs) registered her 50th career double-double, while
Kiley McTaggart paced the attack with 11 kills.
SU continues at home Friday in the Margie Knight Classic, taking on Drew at 4 p.m., before closing out the tournament Saturday with matches against Muskingum and Lebanon Valley.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with affiliate membership in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (football, men's & women's swimming), Coastal Lacrosse Conference (men's lacrosse), State University of New York Athletic Conference (field hockey), and Colonial Women's Golf Conference (women's golf). With over 500 student-athletes in 23 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the nation's most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have won a combined 23 team national championships, 26 individual national championships, and 211 conference championships, and have produced 54 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
