Release from the ACC:
North Carolina received 34 points and is the preseason favorite to claim the 2015 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship, according to a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.
The Tar Heels, who have reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship each of the past six years, garnered four votes for first place and edged out Syracuse for the top spot. The Orange, which advanced to the national championship game last year, collected two first place votes and 31 points.
Duke was selected on one ballot to win the league and collected 26 points. Virginia (18 points), Wake Forest (17), Louisville (13), and Boston College (8) round out the preseason poll.
Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, and Syracuse all had two players recognized on the preseason team.
Six of the 11 on the preseason squad were named Longstreth/NFHCA All-Americans in 2014, including four who earned first team honors: North Carolina’s Emily Wold, Syracuse’s Alyssa Manley and Emma Russell, and Virginia’s Tara Vittese.
All seven ACC teams were included in the NFHCA Preseason Poll, which was announced Tuesday morning. It marks the 25th consecutive poll that the entire league has been ranked, a streak dating to October of 2012.
ACC teams have won 17 of the 34 NCAA field hockey titles, including 10 of the last 13, and at least one ACC squad has advanced to the national championship game for 16 straight years. All seven current ACC programs finished the 2014 season ranked nationally.
The 2015 season gets underway this weekend with all seven teams in action. The 2015 ACC Field Hockey Championship will be held Nov. 5-8 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
2015 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
- North Carolina (4) – 34
- Syracuse (2) – 31
- Duke (1) – 26
- Virginia – 18
- Wake Forest – 17
- Louisville – 13
- Boston College – 8
2015 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
Emily McCoy, Jr., M, Boston College
Aileen Johnson , Sr., M, Duke
Lauren Blazing, RSr., GK, Duke
Elisa Garcia, Sr., M, Louisville
Nicole Woods, So., M/F, Louisville
Emily Wold, Sr., M/B, North Carolina
Julia Young, Jr., B, North Carolina
Alyssa Manley, Sr., M, Syracuse
Emma Russell, Sr., F, Syracuse
Tara Vittese, So., M, Virginia
Emily Conroe, Jr., M, Wake Forest
The Sports Inquirer 
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