Aug. 22, 2006

COLLEGE PARK - The reigning NCAA Champion University of Maryland field hockey team was ranked No. 1 in the Preseason Coaches Poll released by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Monday.

The Terrapins, who are also the 2005 ACC Champions, received 879 points and 35 first-place votes. Four ACC teams were ranked in the top five. Wake Forest, ranked second, garnered 819 points and received five first-place votes, while Duke and North Carolina nabbed two and one first-place votes, respectively, to place third and fifth in the poll.

In all, six ACC teams earned a spot in the Top 20. Boston College was rated 11th and Virginia tied for 19th with 141 points.

Four other Terrapin foes appeared in the preseason poll, including No. 4 Old Dominion (756), No. 6 American (615), No. 8 Michigan and 18th-ranked James Madison (154).

Maryland opens the 2006 slate at on Aug. 26 vs. Pacific, closing a three-game road trip against California on Aug. 29, who received 60 votes and is ranked just out of the top 20. The Terps return 13 letterwinners and six starters, including Honda Sports Award recipient Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile), presented to the sports top player in the nation.

STX/NFHCA PRESEASON COACHES POLL

1. MARYLAND	879(35)
2. Wake Forest* 	819 (5)
3. Duke*		793 (2)
4. Old Dominion 	756 (2)
5. North Carolina*	683 (1)
6. American 	615
7. Penn State 	605
8. Michigan	537
9. Connecticut	469
10. Indiana 	390
11. Boston College*	368
12. Iowa		352
13. Northeastern 	312
14. Louisville	299
15. Ohio State 	292
16. Michigan St.	227
17. Boston Univ.	195
18. James Madison 	154
19. Richmond	141
19. Virginia* 	141

Also Receiving Votes: Princeton (139), Villanova (66), California (60), William & Mary (44), Hofstra (23), Harvard (20), Delaware (19), Miami (OH) (13), Drexel (8), Massachusetts (6), Providence (5), Albany (4), Ohio (4), Syracuse (3), Lock Haven (2), New Hampshire (2), Northwestern (2), Pacific (2), Towson (1).

* ACC school

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