Aug. 26, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion field hockey team is ranked eighth in the 2008 Preseason STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Poll.
Old Dominion closed out the 2007 season ranked 10th the poll with a 12-10 overall mark, 8-0 regular season Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) record, and its 27th appearance at the NCAA Tournament.
The 2008 version of the Lady Monarchs welcomes back 13 letterwinners and seven starters from last year's squad included Preseason CAA Player of the Year Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.), Preseason All-CAA member and 2007 CAA Rookie of the Year Loren Hatch (Green Lane, Pa.), and two-time First Team All-CAA goalkeeper Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.).
Eight future opponents are featured in the poll's Top 20, including four members of the Top 10. Defending NCAA Champion North Carolina, whom the Lady Monarchs will face twice in a home-and-home series, tops the poll, followed by Maryland at No. 2, another team Old Dominion will take on in a home-and-home series. Penn State, Old Dominion's season opener, comes in a No. 6, while two-time defending CAA champion James Madison ranks No. 7 in the poll.
Rounding out the Top 20, Virginia comes in at No. 11, followed by fellow ACC member and two-time ODU opponent in 2008 Duke at No. 12, Boston University at No. 14, and Syracuse at No. 18.
Five additional Lady Monarch opponents are receiving votes including California as well as CAA rivals Delaware, Northeastern, Hofstra, and William & Mary.
The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, September 9th.
The 2008 Old Dominion field hockey team begins its season this weekend with a pair of neutral site games. The Lady Monarchs open the season against Penn State on Saturday, August 30th followed by a meeting with Syracuse on Sunday, August 31st. Both games begin at 1:00 p.m. and will be play on Ursinus' Eleanor Frost Snell Alumnae Field.
STX/NFHCA 2008 Preseason Poll
1. University of North Carolina - 687 (29)
2. University of Maryland - 633 (4)
3. Wake Forest University - 582
4. University of Connecticut - 541 (1)
5. University of Iowa - 463 (1)
6. Penn State University - 451
7. James Madison University - 441
8. Old Dominion University - 407
9. University of Michigan - 389
10. Michigan State University -375
11. University of Virginia - 360
12. Duke University - 353
13. Boston College - 216
14. Boston University - 201
15. American University - 191
16. Princeton University - 190
17. University of Louisville - 181
18. Syracuse University - 172
19. University at Albany - 88
20. Ohio University - 75
Also Receiving Votes: University of Massachusetts (68), University of California, Berkeley (67),Providence College (60), Indiana University (27), Ohio State University (26), Stanford University (23),University of Delaware (19), Northeastern University (18), Hofstra University (15), Temple University (13),Kent State University (9), Villanova University (7), College of William & Mary (2).
2008 Lady Monarch Opponents in Italics