Terrapins Regain Top Ranking In STX/NFHCA Poll
10/23/2001 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 23, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With a 1-0 overtime victory over ACC rival North Carolina last week to clinch the ACC regular season championship, the Maryland field hockey squad (12-3, 3-1 ACC) regained the No. 1 position in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Poll. The Tar Heels had beaten last week's No. 1, Old Dominion, on Wednesday. Maryland's victory assures the squad of the top seed in the ACC Tournament, held Nov. 1-4 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The NCAA National Rankings, on which the seedings for the NCAA Championships are based, are expected to be released later Tuesday. The Oct. 10 rankings had the Terps ranked fourth.
Maryland totals four victories over teams in the coaches' top 10 and boasts an 8-3 record against the top 20. The Terps have taken the No. 1 spot in four of the six coaches polls this season after spending 11 straight votes on top, from Oct. 26, 1999, to Oct. 17, 2000. The Terrapins have been ranked in the top 5 in every NFHCA Poll in each of the last three seasons.
With one of the toughest schedules in the nation, Maryland plays a total of 11 regular season matches against teams listed in this week's top 20. Maryland meets the No. 17 James Madison Dukes this Friday in Harrisonburg, Va., between Wednesday's home match against Delaware and Sunday's "Senior Day" against Drexel. Maryland could face any one of the four top 20 ACC teams in the conference championships.
Below is a listing of the top 20 teams in the 2001 STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, as voted upon by NFHCA member coaches, with records through Oct. 21, 2001 and total points (first-place votes are in parentheses). Terrapin opponents are bolded.
Institution (Record) Pts. Prev.
1. MARYLAND (12-3) 541 (15) 2
2. Old Dominion (13-4) 527 (9) 1
3. Wake Forest (10-3) 518 (4) 3
4. North Carolina (12-4) 481 5
5. Michigan (12-4) 438 4
6. Michigan State (14-4) 424 6
7. Princeton (12-2) 371 7
8. Virginia (10-5) 355 8
9. Ohio State (11-4) 333 10
10. Ohio (12-4) 274 13
11. William & Mary (13-3) 272 11
12. Kent State (10-6) 263 12
13. Penn State (9-6) 226 15
14. Louisville (13-4) 222 9
15. Duke (9-6) 177 14
16. Iowa (10-3) 131 16
17. James Madison (10-7) 114 17
18. Syracuse (12-2) 76 19
19. Northeastern (13-4) 64 18
20. California-Berkeley (9-4) 34 20
Also Receiving Votes: Stanford (12), Connecticut (6),
Dartmouth (6), Harvard (5), Lafayette (5),
Providence College (3), Richmond (2).
Contact: Mark Fratto 301-314-8052 (Phone)
301-314-9094 (FAX)
301-314-TERP (Fan Phone)
fratto@wam.umd.edu
