Sept. 9, 2003
NORFOLK, VA -- The Old Dominion University field hockey team was ranked sixth in the first STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll released on Tuesday. Wake Forest (3-0) took the number one spot along with 12 first place votes, followed by North Carolina (4-0) and Maryland (4-0).
Rounding out the top five were Penn State (3-0) at number four and Duke (4-0) at number five.
Both the Lady Monarchs' (2-2) losses have come at the hands of two of the poll's top five teams with a 6-2 setback to Penn State and a 2-1 loss to Maryland. Old Dominion will face Maryland once again in mid-October and will also look forward to a match-up with fifth ranked Duke and two contests with second ranked North Carolina.
The CAA had three teams represented in the poll. Joining Old Dominion in the top 20 was upcoming opponent William & Mary, who was ranked 18th. The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens just missed making the top 20 and received votes along with the Hofstra Pride.
Other upcoming opponents ranked in this week's poll include #7 Michigan, #10 Connecticut, #10 Princeton, and #16 Virginia.
The next poll will be released on Tuesday, September 16th. The STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll has no bearing on selection to the 2003 NCAA Division I Championship field.
The Lady Monarchs return to action this weekend as they close out a six-game home stand. Old Dominion opens CAA play against #18 William & Mary on Saturday, September 13th and welcomes #10 Connecticut on Sunday, September 14th. Both games will begin at 1:00 p.m. at Foreman Field and admission is free.
STX/NFHCA DIVISION I NATIONAL COACHES POLL
| 1. | Wake Forest University (3-0) | 531 (12) |
| 2. | University of North Carolina (4-0) | 529 (11) |
| 3. | University of Maryland (4-0) | 503 (3) |
| 4. | Penn State University (3-0) | 484 (1) |
| 5. | Duke University (4-0) | 440 (1) |
| 6. | Old Dominion University (2-2) | 368 |
| 7. | University of Michigan (2-2) | 367 |
| 8. | Michigan State University (2-1) | 312 |
| 9. | University of Iowa (2-2) | 308 |
| 10. | University of Connecticut (2-1) | 201 |
| Tie | Princeton University (2-0) | 201 |
| 12. | Northeastern University (2-2) | 188 |
| 13. | Indiana University (4-0) | 168 |
| 14. | University of California, Berkeley (2-0) | 167 |
| 15. | University of Louisville (2-2) | 144 |
| 16. | University of Virginia (2-1) | 117 |
| 17. | Boston University (2-0) | 110 |
| 18. | College of William & Mary (2-1) | 96 |
| 19. | Northwestern University (2-1) | 93 |
| 20. | Boston College (2-2) | 86 |
Also Receiving Votes: Ball State University (82), University of Delaware (73), Harvard University (45),Temple University (39), Ohio State University (37), Stanford University (35), Kent State University (33),University of New Hampshire (33), Hofstra University (32), College of the Holy Cross (17),Villanova University (13), University of Maine (11), University of Massachusetts (6), Bucknell University (3),Ohio University (3), Appalachian State University (2), University of Richmond (2), LaSalle University (1).