Maryland Picked to Win ACC Title
8/17/2012 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 17, 2012
GREENSBORO, N.C. - 2011 National Champion Maryland received three first place votes and is the preseason favorite to claim the 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship according to a vote of the league's six head coaches.
Maryland seniors Megan Frazer and Harriet Tibble were both named to the Preseason All-ACC Team for the second straight year. Both were named NFHCA First Team All-Americans last season. Frazer will serve as team captain this fall and won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top player last year. Tibble was named the ACC's Scholar Athlete in the spring and led the league in assists last season.
The Terrapins claimed 23 of a possible 25 points to be picked to win the league. North Carolina, who fell to the Terps in the NCAA title game, was picked second with 22 points, ahead of Virginia with 15 points. Duke (14 points), Wake Forest (10 points), and Boston College (six points) round out the field.
Maryland and North Carolina have combined to win the past seven national championships, with the two teams battling in the final game the past three years. The Terps have won five of the last seven national titles (2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011). ACC teams have won the last 10 national championships.
The Terps will take on the U.S.Under-21 national team Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in an exhibition game at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. Admission is free and all fans are encouraged to attend. A football scrimmage will be taking place on campus Saturday afternoon, so traffic may be affected.
Current Terrapins Maxine Fluharty, Katie Gerzabek, Ali McEvoy and Jill Witmer are all on the U.S. Under-21 team. Fluharty and Gerzabek will be playing with Team USA.
After Saturday's matchup, the Terps will head west to open the season at California on Friday, Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. On Sunday, Aug. 26, the Terrapins will take on Stanford at 4 p.m. ET in Stanford, Calif. Both of the Terrapins' west coast games will be shown live on the Pac 12 Network. More information on where to watch will be available closer to the games.
In its home opener, Maryland will take on Old Dominion at 7 p.m. on Aug. 31 in a rematch of 2011 Final Four matchup. The Terrapins blanked the Monarchs 4-0 en route to their fifth national title in seven years.
ACC Predicted Order of Finish
| Team (First Place votes) | Points | 2011 Overall Record (ACC Record) |
| MARYLAND (3) | 23 | 19-4 (4-1) |
| North Carolina (3) | 22 | 23-2 (5-0) |
| Virginia | 15 | 8-12 (1-4) |
| Duke | 14 | 14-8 (2-3) |
| Wake Forest | 10 | 10-9 (2-3) |
| Boston College | 6 | 10-9 (2-3) |
All-ACC Team
| Team | Player | Class | Position |
| Duke | Emmie Le Marchand | JR | M/F |
| MARYLAND | Megan Frazer | SR | M |
| MARYLAND | Harriet Tibble | SR | D |
| North Carolina | Kelsey Kolojejchick | SR | M |
| North Carolina | Caitlin Van Sickle | SR | D |
| Virginia | Michelle Vittese | SR | M |
| Virginia | Paige Selenski | SR | F |
| Virginia | Elly Buckley | JR | F |
| Virginia | Jennifer Johnstone | SO | GK |
| Wake Forest | Anna Kozniuk | SO | D/M |
| Wake Forest | Lizzie Rae | SR | M/F |
