June 8, 2011
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa field hockey team has announced its 2011 schedule. The Hawkeyes will face another challenging slate, as 10 opponents were ranked or receiving votes at the end of the 2010 season.
“We are looking forward to the 2011 season,” said Head Coach Tracey Griesbaum. “The schedule provides us with great top 25 non-conference teams to challenge us right off the bat. Additionally, as usual, the Big Ten will be ultra competitive this year.”
Iowa will begin the 2011 campaign by participating in the annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge. The tournament will be held on the campus of the University of Michigan. Iowa will face Wake Forest (Aug. 27) and North Carolina (Aug. 28) in back-to-back contests.
The Hawkeyes will open their home schedule Sept. 2 against Kent State and Sept. 4 against UMass. Iowa will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its 1986 national championship team on the Hall of Fame weekend.
“We are looking forward to having a great group of alumni back on campus for the celebration,” said Griesbaum. “There is so much to be proud of and the weekend will present a great opportunity to celebrate Iowa Field Hockey tradition.”
In Big Ten play, the Black and Gold will host Michigan State (Sept. 23), Penn State (Sept. 25) and Indiana (Oct. 15) at Grant Field. The Hawkeyes travel to Michigan (Oct. 1), Ohio State (Oct. 8) and Northwestern (Oct. 22).
The Big Ten Tournament will be held at Penn State, Nov. 3-6. Iowa will be seeking its fourth tournament championship in six years. Iowa won three straight tournaments from 2006-08.
The first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament will be Nov. 12-13, with the NCAA Finals on Nov. 18-20 on the campus of the University of Louisville. Iowa advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 2008, the last time it was held at Louisville. The Hawkeyes have made 11 NCAA Final Four appearances, the fourth-most all-time nationally.