COLLEGE PARK, Md. - For the second-consecutive year, Maryland's Paula Infante was voted the ACC's Defensive Field Hockey Player of the Year, which was announced today by the conference. A school-record tying five Terrapins were also named to the All-ACC team, including Infante. The reigning ACC and NCAA champion Terps are headed to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the conference tournament. The top-seeded team in the event, Maryland plays the winner of the Boston College-Virginia game on Friday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m.

Last year's Honda Award winner and ACC Player of the Year, Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile) is having another great season, leading the Terrapins to a No. 1 ranking, a share of the ACC regular-season title and an 18-1 record, the team's winningest regular season since 1999. Second on the team with nine goals and third in points, she ranks among the top 10 point and goal scorers in school history. Infante has won two of the three Defensive Player of the Year awards since its inception in 2004 and is the first Terrapin to earn multiple player of the year accolades.

The most All-ACC performers since 2000, senior Kristina Edmonds (Emmaus, Pa.), junior Kathryn Masson (Richmond, British Columbia), freshman Nicole Muracco (Sewell, N.J.) and sophomore Susie Rowe (London, England) were named to the squad, along with Infante. Aside from Infante, who becomes the fourth player in school history to be named All-ACC four times, the other four are first-time honorees.

With the efforts of Edmonds and Rowe, along with Masson in goal, the Terrapin defense is ranked third in the nation with a 0.74 goals against average. Masson also boasts a 0.74 individual GAA and an 82.1 save percentage, both second-best in the nation.

Muracco is the only freshman to earn All-ACC honors. She was the only player in the league to garner ACC Player of the Week nods multiple times this season, earning the award three times. She leads the Terrapins with 15 goals and 33 points. Muracco's offensive play, coupled with Rowe and Infante's nine goals apiece has Terrapin offense is ranked sixth in the nation.

Maryland is looking to capture its second-straight ACC Tournament title this weekend. First-round games begin on Thursday, Nov. 2, with winners moving onto the semifinal round to face either the top-seeded Terps or second-seeded Wake Forest on Friday, Nov. 3. All four games can be viewed on the internet at www.ACCSelect.com. The championship game will be held on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 12 p.m., airing on the ACC's Regional Sports Network (Comcast SportsNet, Fox Sports South, Fox Sports Florida, New England Sports Network) on a tape-delayed basis at 5:30 p.m. Live stats for every game will be available at www.theacc.com.

All-tournament ticket packages for the tournament are $10 for adults and $5 for students, seniors and children. Single-day tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students, seniors and children. Students with ID from an ACC school will be admitted for free.

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