Feb. 7, 2006

Baltimore, Md. - Inside Lacrosse has released the first media poll of the 2006 season and the Maryland Terrapins are ranked third, behind only 2005 NCAA finalists Duke and Johns Hopkins.

The Blue Devils received 19 first-place votes, while defending national champion and second-ranked Johns Hopkins received four first-place votes. The Terps got the third-place nod, just two points ahead of fourth-ranked Virginia. Duke, Hopkins, Maryland and Virginia were all participants in last year's NCAA Championship Weekend. Syracuse rounds out this year's pre-season top five.

Navy, Georgetown, Cornell, Princeton and Massachusetts fill in spots six through 10. Princeton, a perennially ranked team, had dropped out of the top 20 by the end of last season.

Towson, Notre Dame, Penn State, Army and North Carolina are next in the poll. Fifteenth-ranked North Carolina will have plenty of chances to prove itself this year, as Face-Off Yearbook ranked their schedule as the toughest in the nation, followed closely by Maryland's 2006 schedule. Delaware, Dartmouth, Hofstra, Fairfield and Denver fill out the top 20. Nine other schools received votes.

The Inside Lacrosse media poll comes out every Monday during the season and is comprised of pollsters from various media outlets throughout the country.

Inside Lacrosse Media Poll - February 6, 2006
1.Duke- 454 points (19 first place votes)
2.Johns Hopkins- 432 points (4 first place votes)
3.Maryland- 405
4.Virginia- 403
5.Syracuse- 356
6.Navy- 340
7.Georgetown- 325
8.Cornell- 281
9.Princeton- 273
10.Massachusetts- 257
11.Towson- 239
12.Notre Dame- 202
13.Penn State- 175
14.Army- 142
15.North Carolina- 141
16.Delaware- 100
17.Dartmouth- 77
18.Hofstra- 59
19.Fairfield 42
20.Denver- 26

Others Receiving Votes: Rutgers 25, Loyola 22, Albany 22, Ohio State 9, Brown 7, UMBC 6, Stony Brook 4, Hobart 4, Bucknell 2

Maryland 2006 opponents in italics