Hawkeyes Third In National Rankings

Sept. 18, 2007

IOWA CITY – The fourth STX – National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Poll was released today and the Iowa Hawkeyes moved up to third in the nation. The previous two polls, Iowa was ranked fourth.

The Hawkeyes jumped to No. 3 after defeating Sacred Heart Saturday (6-0) and Fairfield Sunday (3-1) in Fairfield, CT.

“We are in a good position among the rankings, but what is more important is how we approach every day.” Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum said. “It is critical for us to strive to improve consistently. We will continue to work hard to improve in critical areas. It is a long season and we are going to stay in the moment and strive to compete at the highest level.”

This season, Iowa has recorded shutouts against then-ranked No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 4 Duke, William & Mary and Sacred Heart. The Hawkeyes’ only loss came to then-ranked No. 3 North Carolina.

North Carolina takes the top spot in the poll for the second consecutive week. The Tar Heels received 41 of the 49 first place votes. The Big Ten has four teams ranked in the top 20, including three in the top ten. The Hawkeyes are the highest ranked Big Ten team followed by No. 6 Michigan State.

Seven of the top-20 schools are on Iowa’s schedule, including four teams the Hawkeyes have already played: No. 1 North Carolina (loss, 5-2), No. 5 Wake Forest (win, 3-0), No. 13 Duke (win, 2-0) and No. 16 Louisville (win, 4-3).

The Hawkeyes open conference play Friday, against No. 12 Michigan in Ann Arbor, MI, at 2 p.m. (CT).

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