COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The fall issue of Sports Illustrated for Women rates the University of Maryland's women's athletic program among the best in the country for women athletes. The issue will hit newsstands Thursday.

SI for Women, which rated Maryland No. 8 in the nation, judged schools in a variety of areas, including championships won, varsity, club and intramural opportunities, graduation rates, financial aid and fan support, facilities, sports-related curriculum, traditions and attitude.

"This ranking is a credit to the efforts of world-class coaches, athletes and a hard-working administrative staff," said Deborah A. Yow, Maryland's director of athletics. "Increasing the overall funding for women's sports by more than 70 percent over the past five years has been our way of exhibiting tangible support for the efforts by our women's teams."

Six of Maryland's women's varsity sports advanced to NCAA postseason play last year, including the women's lacrosse team, which captured an unprecedented fifth consecutive national title. Seven of the women's programs earned national top 25 rankings during the course of their respective seasons, including lacrosse, field hockey, gymnastics, indoor track, softball, soccer, and swimming.

The top 20 programs in the U.S., according to SI for Women:

1. Stanford        11. Penn State
2. Florida         12. Washington
3. Texas           13. Virginia
4. North Carolina  14. Princeton
5. UCLA            15. Notre Dame
6. Georgia         16. Nebraska
7. Arizona         17. Connecticut
8. Maryland        18. Tennessee
9. Harvard         19. Old Dominion
10. Wisconsin      20. Duke