Jan. 5, 2012

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BRIDGEPORT, Pa. - The Maryland Terrapins were ranked No. 20 in the CWPA preseason national poll which was released Wednesday.

Stanford, the defending national champion, was No. 1 in the poll with 100 points, while California (94 points) checked in second. UCLA and USC were tied for third.

The Terps finished 19-14 last season and a program-best 17th in the final 2011 national poll.

With five of seven starters returning from last year's squad, Maryland, under eighth-year head coach Carl Salyer, hopes to improve on last year's showing.

Seniors and co-captains Shelby Reyes and Christine Goetsch headline the returning starters. They are joined by juniors Allison Campbell and Simone Lewis, as well as sophomore Katie Ermakova.

Campbell led the squad in scoring last year (89 points) en route to CWPA Southern Division MVP honors. Reyes was a 2011 first team All-CWPA Southern Division choice, while Ermakova earned her a spot on the All-Division second team.

Maryland, which matched a program-best with a third-place finish at the 2011 CWPA Eastern Championship, opens the 2012 season on Jan. 28 when it plays host to the Terrapin Invitational, a two-day tournament.

Terrapin Invitational Schedule