The Saint Joseph's field hockey team moved up one spot to fifth in the latest Penn Monto / National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Coaches Poll released on Tuesday morning.  A new high mark in program history, it marks the first time a Hawk team has been ranked in the top five in its respective sport since the men's basketball team was ranked fifth to end the 2003-04 season.
 
Saint Joseph's is also ranked fourth in the latest NCAA RPI ratings released on Monday.
 
The Hawks collected two more wins over the weekend, dominating conference rival Richmond on Friday for a 7-0 victory in which the Hawks did not allow a shot.  SJU followed up on Sunday with a 4-0 shutout of local rival and CAA leader Drexel.  All told, the Hawks outshot their opposition 36-1 on the weekend; as a result, Manu Ghigliotti and Kate Crist earned Atlantic 10 Offensive and Defensive Player of the week accolades, respectively.
 
Saint Joseph's boasts the nation's most prolific offense, leading Division I in goals, assists, and points per game.  Six Hawks have scored seven goals or more while no other program has more than three seven-goal scorers so far this season.  SJU is also the only program with three players that have handed out 10 or more assists, and the Hawks are also the only team with multiple 30-point scorers and lead the nation with five 20-point scorers as well; only two other programs have as many as three that have reached the 20-point plateau.
 
A number of the Hawks' opponents this season are ranked in this week's poll, including Virginia, which held steady at #4.  UConn slipped three places to eighth, while Duke moved up one spot to #10.
 
Fellow Atlantic 10 rival UMass dropped one spot to #15, while Penn State also moved down one place to #17.  Drexel made its first appearance in the poll this week, coming in at #20.
 
Saint Joseph's has one more ranked opponent on the regular season schedule in Harvard, which slipped one spot to #11.
 
Northwestern and North Carolina switched places at the top of the poll this week, with Northwestern taking the top spot and UNC ranked second.  Ohio State, Virginia, and the Hawks round out the top five.
 
The Hawks will carry their new ranking into Friday's conference matchup at Saint Louis before returning to Ellen Ryan Field to host Harvard on Sunday.