Nov. 5, 2006

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Maryland's Nicole Muracco was named the ACC's Field Hockey Rookie of the Year which was voted on by the conference coaches and announced on Sunday after the conference championship game. The freshman is the second Terrapin in the last three years to earn the honor and the sixth overall.

A forward from Sewell, N.J., Muracco has made a significant impact, starting in 19 of Maryland's 21 games, she leads the team with 15 goals and 33 points on the season. The only freshman in the league to earn All-ACC honors, she was selected the ACC's Player of the Week three times this season, the only player in the league to garner the weekly honor multiple times.

The last Terrapin to garner the major award was current junior Janneke van Leeuwen (Hilversum, Netherlands).

Maryland claimed two of the four major conference honors. Senior Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile), last season's Honda Award winner presented to the national player if the year, was voted the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week.

Top-ranked and top-seeded Maryland fell to No. 2 Wake Forest, 1-0, in the championship game of the ACC Tournament. The NCAA Tournament will announce the brackets, seedings and sites on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. on CSTV.

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