Aug. 24, 2005

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland students have been rated the best in the nation at supporting their intercollegiate sports teams, according to a survey by The Princeton Review.

In its annual ranking lists of the top 20 colleges in a number of categories, the Review lists a number of extracurricular activities, including one titled "Students Pack the Stadiums." Maryland topped that list, followed in order by Notre Dame, Florida, Penn State, North Carolina, Georgia, Gonzaga, Arizona, Tennessee and Texas.

"The Princeton Review simply confirmed what we've known for many years - that our student body is passionate about our teams and they are dedicated to doing their part to create a terrific game environment," said director of athletics Deborah A. Yow.

Maryland fans have set new records for attendance at home football games in each of the last four seasons, including an average of 51,410 fans at six games at Byrd Stadium in 2004. A school-record 299,391 fans came to Comcast Center for men's basketball games in 2004-05. Last February, the Terrapins set the Atlantic Coast Conference women's basketball single-game attendance record when 17,243 fans came to watch Maryland face Duke.

The Princeton Review's annual ranking lists of top 20 colleges are in the new 2006 edition of its book "The Best 361 Colleges." The survey asked 70 questions of 110,000 students at 361 colleges to rate their schools and report on their campus experiences.

Topics covered in the survey included academics, administration, the student body and campus life. Lists were released in 62 different categories, including 60 that were based entirely on student answers to survey questions.