Aug. 21, 2007
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team has been ranked No. 7 in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Preseason Top 20 poll that was released today. The ranking marks the second straight year that the Nittany Lions have been ranked seventh in the preseason poll. Penn State is the highest-ranked Big Ten team in the preseason poll and is one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the poll.
Penn State received 487 total points in the poll, including one first place vote. No. 1 Maryland received 673 total points and the most first place votes with 18. No. 2 Wake Forest got one first place vote while No. 3 North Carolina had 14 first place votes. Penn State and Virginia got the remaining two first place votes.
Penn State, which ended last season ranked sixth after making to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, returns nine of 11 starters from last year's team that went 16-6 overall and finished tied for second in the Big Ten Conference with a 4-2 record, one year after winning the conference outright with an unblemished mark in conference play. One of the favorites in the Big Ten this year, the Nittany Lions return their top five scorers among those nine returning starters.
The Nittany Lions will play 11 of the other 19 schools in the top 20 this season, beginning with No. 6 Old Dominion and No. 8 Virginia this weekend. Also on the Nittany Lions schedule are five schools that received votes in the preseason poll, meaning all but two games this year will be against teams that either were ranked or received votes in the preseason poll. Teams on Penn State's schedule this year that are ranked in the preseason poll include No. 3 North Carolina, No. 5 Connecticut, No. 6 Old Dominion, No. 8 Virginia, No. 10 Iowa, No. 11 James Madison, No. 12 Michigan, No. 13 Ohio State, No. 15 Indiana, No. 18 Princeton and No. 19 Michigan State.
The Nittany Lions open the season at Old Dominion on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. and then play Virginia on Sunday at noon. Their home opener will be on Sunday, September 2 at noon at AstroTurf Field.
2007 STX/NFHCA Division I Preseason Poll1. Maryland 673 (14)2. Wake Forest 623 (1)3. North Carolina 573 (14)4. Duke 5545. Connecticut 5516. Old Dominion 5437. Penn State 487 (1)8. Virginia 398 (1)9. Boston College 31710. Iowa 30211. James Madison 28412. Michigan 28113. Ohio State 27114. Louisville 23515. Indiana 18316. American 17317. Providence 14618. Princeton 11919. Michigan State 11020. Boston University 109