Sept. 4, 2007
IOWA CITY – The second STX – National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Poll was released today and the Iowa Hawkeyes are ranked fourth in the nation.
Iowa was ranked 10th in the preseason poll two weeks ago. The Hawkeyes’ leap in the poll is due to three shutout victories against then-ranked No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 4 Duke and William & Mary. Iowa’s only loss of the season was to then-ranked No. 3 North Carolina.
“We are proud of the team accomplishments over the past two weekends, but it is just that, two weekends,” Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum said. “It is a long season and our focus is on developing individual, positional and team play on a weekly basis. The team has done a tremendous job and we are looking forward to our upcoming games on Grant Field.”
Defending national champion Maryland holds the top spot in the poll. The Terrapins received 19 of 34 first place votes. The Big Ten has five teams representing the conference, following the ACC, which has six. The Hawkeyes are the highest ranked Big Ten team followed by No. 6 Penn State.
Five of the top-ten ranked schools are on Iowa’s 2007 schedule. Including three teams the Hawkeyes have already played, No. 2 North Carolina (loss, 5-2), No. 5 Wake Forest (win, 3-0), No. 8 Duke (win, 2-0).
The Hawkeyes host No. 16 Louisville for their home opener Friday at 3 p.m. at Grant Field.
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