Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Eighth In Preseason Poll
8/25/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 25, 2009
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State, which advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals last season and returns four of its top five scorers and its starting goalkeeper from the 2008 squad, has been ranked eighth in the 2009 Kookaburra / NFHCA Division I Preseason Poll, the highest of any Big Ten institution. The Spartans kick off their 2009 season this weekend at Duke in the Champions Invitational.
Michigan State, coming off a 17-6 season in 2008, earned 354 points in the poll. The preseason pick of the coaches is Maryland, which garnered 573 points and 24 of the 29 first-place votes. NCAA host Wake Forest was picked second (513), followed by Syracuse (464), North Carolina (440, two first place votes), Connecticut (402), Virginia (387, two first-place votes) and Princeton (379, one first place vote).
MSU leads the five Big Ten teams in the top 20, as it is joined by Iowa (ninth), Penn State (11th), Ohio State (18th) and Michigan (19th). The other two Big Ten institutions - Northwestern and Indiana - are receiving votes in the poll.
Several of MSU's non-conference opponents appear in the poll as well; in addition to Syracuse (third) and sixth-ranked Virginia, Duke (10th), James Madison (12th), Louisville (13th), American (14th) and Old Dominion (16th) have all earned preseason nods. In all, 16 of MSU's 18 opponents are either in the top 20 or receiving preseason votes.
The Spartans open with Delaware in Durham, NC on Friday and will take on either host Duke or Louisville in Saturday action.
