Maryland Debuts At No. 1 In First STX/NFHCA Poll Of 2002
9/10/2002 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Sept. 10, 2002
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The new-look Maryland field hockey squad debuts as the No. 1 team in the nation in the first STX/NFHCA poll of the 2002 season, released Tuesday. The 4-0 Terrapins, who finished first in last season's final poll after capturing their fourth straight ACC championship and making a run to the NCAA title game, lost four All-Americans and seven starters from the 2001 squad and welcomed 10 newcomers to the roster this year. The Terps started six rookies in passing their first major test of the season with a 2-0 shutout of perennial powerhouse No. 2 Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept. 8.
All five ACC field hockey schools rank in the top 20, with North Carolina (2-2) ranking sixth and 2002 national semifinalist Wake Forest listed seventh. Also joining the Terps, Tar Heels and Demon Deacons in the top 10 is No. 9 Virginia (3-0), while Duke occupies the 15th position.
Including the Terps' Sunday victory over the Monarchs, Maryland plays a total of 10 regular season matches against teams listed in the first top 20 of 2002. Five more of the Terps' opponents received votes in this week's poll.
Here is a listing of the top 20 teams in the 2002 STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll, as voted upon by NFHCA member coaches, with records through September 8, 2002, and total points (first-place votes are in parentheses). Terrapin opponents are in bold italics.
RANK INSTITUTION (RECORD) POINTS 1. MARYLAND (4-0) 528 (21) 2. Old Dominion (3-1) 483 3. Michigan (3-1) 464 (4) 4. Louisville (2-0) 449 (1) 5. James Madison (3-0) 388 6. North Carolina (2-2) 336 7. Wake Forest (1-2) 332 8. Michigan State (3-1) 293 9. Virginia (3-0) 286 10. Iowa (2-2) 279 11. Northeastern (3-0) 246 12. Penn State (2-0) 210 13. Princeton (0-0) 194 14. Boston College (3-0) 140 15. Duke (2-1) 139 T16. California (4-1) 135 T16. Ohio State (2-1) 135 18. Hofstra (4-0) 115 19. Kent State (1-1) 85 20. Delaware (3-1) 83
ALSO RECEIVING VOTES: Boston University (68), William & Mary (68), New Hampshire (47), Syracuse (46), Stanford (40), Northwestern (21), Ohio (12), Harvard (9), Central Michigan (8), Villanova (8), American (7), Fairfield (7), Connecticut (4), Virginia Commonwealth (2), Dartmouth (1), Maine (1), Saint Joseph's (1).
