Unbeaten Maryland rises to No. 1 ahead of Big Ten home weekend
The Terrapins lead the national coaches poll at 12–0, with Michigan State and Ohio State next in College Park.
Maryland has reached the top of the national field-hockey poll with an unbeaten record and a Big Ten home weekend ahead. The Terrapins moved to No. 1 in Tuesday’s Penn Monto/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll, their first appearance at the top since 2013, according to Maryland’s announcement.
The October 13 poll gives Maryland 219 points and 10 first-place votes. Northwestern, which had occupied the top spot, is second with 208 points and one first-place vote. The ranking places the Terrapins’ 12–0 start in national context, but their next work is closer to home: Michigan State visits College Park on Friday, followed by Ohio State on Sunday.
Maryland is 3–0 in Big Ten play. Its official schedule lists Michigan State for 4 p.m. Eastern on October 16 at the Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex, with B1G+ carrying the game. Ohio State follows at noon Eastern on October 18. Those games precede an October 22 trip to Northwestern, giving the new No. 1 a conference schedule that could soon include a meeting with the team directly behind it in the poll.
The undefeated start is the sixth 12–0 opening in program history and Maryland’s first since 2018. The university’s ranking release identifies victories over four opponents that were ranked when the teams met: Duke, Wake Forest, Princeton and Michigan. Tuesday’s recognition reflects a run against tested opposition, rather than a record built entirely outside the national rankings.
The latest win showed how quickly Maryland can change a game. The Terrapins and Michigan were scoreless at halftime on October 9 before Maryland scored four times in a 3:19 stretch of the third quarter, the team’s official recap reports. Maia Adamson opened the scoring; Maci Bradford, Jordyn Hollamon and Madeline Vasilios followed during the burst. Maryland finished with a 5–2 road victory.
Bradford produced two goals and two assists in that game. On Monday, she earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors, Maryland’s first recipient of that award since Hope Rose on November 4, 2024. Her production against Michigan helped turn a scoreless contest into another conference win before the national poll moved the team up one place.
The weekend now asks Maryland to convert its new ranking into two more performances. Friday offers the first opportunity to extend the winning streak; Sunday brings another conference opponent before the Northwestern trip. The No. 1 designation recognizes what the Terrapins have done through 12 games. Their next three Big Ten fixtures will provide a fresh measure of that standing.