No. 14 Iowa to Host No. 20 Albany Sunday

Sept. 12, 2012

Complete Release in PDF Format

THIS WEEK
The 14th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team hosts No. 20 Albany Sunday at Grant Field. Play will begin at noon (CT).

ON THE NET
Iowa field hockey fans can watch the Hawkeyes and Great Danes live on BTN.com, where the game will be streamed live. Fans can also follow the Hawkeyes with live stats (Gametracker) on hawkeyesports.com. Click on the “Gametracker” link found on both the front page and the field hockey schedule page.

WEEKEND PROMOTIONS
Sunday is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day at Grant Field. The first 100 fans will receive free t-shirts, while all fans will be able to pick up free posters and schedule cards. In addition, fans will have a chance to win a pair of 2012 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament tickets courtesy of the UI marketing department. Iowa field hockey t-shirts will be thrown into the crowd during every home game this season whenever the Hawkeyes have a penalty corner and/or score a goal.

NATIONAL FIELD HOCKEY DAY
U.S.A. Field Hockey will celebrate National Field Hockey Day on Saturday, Sept. 15. National Field Hockey Day is aimed to raise awareness about the sport and inspire participation.

SCOUTING ALBANY
Albany enters the weekend with a 2-3 record that includes wins against Delaware (3-2, 3OT) and Hofstra (2-1). Junior Corrine McConville paces the Great Danes in goals (3) and points (7), while seniors Jessica Longstreth and Chantae Miller share the team lead in assists (2). Senior Kristi Trouch has played every minute in goal this season, posting a .697 save percentage and a 2.33 goals against average. The Great Danes and head coach Phil Sykes will face Missouri State at Grant Field on Friday before playing the Hawkeyes.

HAWKEYES VS. GRANT DANES HISTORY
Sunday will be the first meeting between Iowa and Albany. The Hawkeyes have faced three teams from the America East Conference in program history, posting a 12-1 record.

IOWA AT HOME
Iowa won its only home game this season, defeating Missouri State, 10-0, on Sept. 2. The Hawkeyes are 134-42 all-time in games played in Iowa City.

PENN MONTO/NFHCA RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes were tabbed 14th in most recent Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Coaches Poll, which was released Sept. 11. Iowa, who was previously ranked No. 10, received 287 points. The Hawkeyes were joined by four other Big Ten schools in the ranking — Penn State (6), Northwestern (10), Michigan (16), and Michigan State (19). Nine Iowa opponents were ranked in the top-25, including No. 20 Albany, the Hawkeyes’ Sunday opponent.

LAST TIME OUT
Iowa posted a 2-1 record during a three-game road trip in Stanford, Calif. The Hawkeyes opened the trip with a narrow 3-2 loss to No. 16, but bounced back with shutout wins over Pacific (6-0) and UC Davis (3-0). Junior Aubrey Coleman and sophomore Dani Hemeon shared the team lead with three goals over the trip. Senior Kathleen McGraw posted a 1.29 goals against average and made 10 saves in the three games.

TCHOU TO BE HONORED
Former Hawkeye Liz Tchou will be honored during halftime of Sunday’s game. Tchou will officially become a member of the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday evening. She will be joined by four other former Iowa athletes in the 2012 class, the 24th class to be inducted.

Tchou was a standout at Iowa from 1984-1987, becoming the first female in Iowa history to have her number retired. Tchou led the Hawkeyes to the 1986 National Championship, as she paced Iowa with 15 goals. She was a first team All-American in 1987 after leading the team in goals (30) and points (65). Tchou scored 75 career goals, a mark that still stands fifth in the Iowa record books. She was a four-time All-Big Ten first team selection, twice being named Big Ten Conference MVP. Tchou was also a two-time Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient at Iowa. Following her Hawkeye career, she played for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1989-95 and was a member of the 1996 Olympic Team. She is currently the Youth Development Manager for U.S.A. Field Hockey.

MCGRAW EARNS B1G HONOR
Senior Kathleen McGraw was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 11. McGraw earned the accolade after posting a pair of shutouts during the team’s West Coast swing. The goalkeeper finished the weekend with 10 saves, a 1.29 goals against average and a .769 save percentage. The Atherton, Calif., native opened the weekend by making four stops in Iowa’s 3-2 loss at No. 16 Stanford. She then followed up her performance by making three saves in shutout victories over Pacific and UC Davis. McGraw has guided the Hawkeyes to a 4-2 record this season, and she is leading the Big Ten with three shutouts. The honor is the second of McGraw’s Hawkeye career, as she received her first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolade on Oct. 11, 2011.

COLEMAN NOTCHES HAT TRICK
Junior Aubrey Coleman tallied a hat trick in the Hawkeyes’ 6-0 victory over Pacific on Sept. 9. All three goals were unassisted, as Coleman scored during the 16th, 50th, and 53rd minutes. It was the first hat trick of Coleman’s Iowa career. It was the Hawkeyes first hat trick since Jessica Barnett scored three goals in a 5-2 win against Ball State on Oct. 28, 2011.

HEMEON SCORES TWO
Sophomore Dani Hemeon registered the first multi-goal of her Hawkeye career Sept. 10 against UC Davis, scoring twice against the Aggies. Both goals were scored via penalty corners, with the first coming at the 5:39 mark and the second at the 53:00 mark.

THREE TIED FOR THE LEAD
Senior Jessica Barnett, junior Aubrey Coleman, and sophomore Dani Hemeon share the team lead in points (8) and goals (4). The trio is tied for seventh in the Big Ten with 0.67 goals per game and 10th in the league with 1.33 points per game. All three individuals have had one multi-goal game this season.

LESIAK TOPS IN ASSISTS
Senior Geena Lesiak paces the Big Ten with 1.00 assists per game, and is tied for the lead in total assists with six. Three of Lesiak’s assists came against Missouri State on Sept. 2. The three assists in one game are the most by any Big Ten athlete this season, and the second-most by anyone in NCAA Divison I field hockey. Lesiak, a four-year starter from Vorhees, N.J., has tallied 15 career assists in 62 games for the Hawkeyes.

HAWKEYES LEAD BIG TEN
The Hawkeyes lead the Big Ten in four statistical categories. Iowa paces the league in scoring margin (2.92), scoring average (5.01), shutouts (3), and goals scored per game (4.00). The Hawkeyes are also second in shots (127), shots per game (21.17), and goals scored (24). Iowa ranks third in assists (14), assists per game (2.33), and penalty corners (55).

IOWA IN THE NCAA RANKINGS
Iowa ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in five statistical categories. The Hawkeyes are fourth in scoring average (4.07) and goals scored per game (4.20), seventh in shutouts per game (0.40) and points per game (10.20), and eighth in scoring margin (2.13). The NCAA rankings do not include Iowa’s Sept. 10 contest against UC Davis.

HAWKEYES SETS TEAM HIGHS
The Hawkeyes have set or tied four team high totals for the Big Ten this season. Iowa set team-highs in goals (10) and points (26) Sept. 2 against Missouri State. The 10 goals are the second highest total in the NCAA this season. The Hawkeyes also dished out six assists against the Bears, tying a conference team high. Iowa fired 44 shots against Pacific on Sept. 9, the most by any team in the conference this season. In addition, the Hawkeyes are the only team in the Big Ten to hold an opponent without a shot for an entire game this season, as Missouri State did not attempt a shot against Iowa on Sept. 2.

CAFONE GETS ON THE BOARD
Freshman Natalie Cafone scored the first two goals of her Hawkeye career against Missouri State on Sept. 2. Her first collegiate goal came at the 20:45 mark of the first half via a Geena Lesiak assist. Cafone added her second goal at the 40:20 mark.

TEAM CAPTAINS
Seniors Jessica Barnett and Kathleen McGraw will serve as team captains for the Hawkeyes in 2012. Barnett and McGraw were both team captains in 2011.

ROSTER BREAKDOWN
? The Hawkeyes have 21 student-athletes on their roster; five freshmen, five sophomores, five juniors and six seniors.
? Iowa returns 15 letterwinners, including nine starters. Four of the nine starters are seniors (Jessica Barnett, Sarah Drake, Geena Lesiak, Kathleen McGraw). All four will become fourth-year starters in 2012.
? Offensively, Iowa returns nine of the 11 players that netted a goal in 2011. The nine returnees accounted for 64 percent of the team’s goals (42-of-66) and 68 percent of the team’s points (114-of-167).
? Seven Hawkeyes hail from New Jersey, four from Pennsylvania, two from California and Canada, and one from Belgium, Delaware, Germany, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia ? Five members of the Iowa roster were also teammates in high school. Corinne Allen, Geena Lesiak and Kelsey Mitchell all played at Eastern Regional High School in New Jersey, while Jessica Barnett and Karli Johansen competed for Handsworth Secondary School in North Vancouver, Canada.

HAWKEYES TO HOST BIG TEN TOURNAMENT
Iowa will host the Big Ten Tournament at Grant Field in 2012. The tournament will begin with first round play on Nov. 1, followed by semifinal action on Nov. 2 and the championship game on Nov. 4. The Hawkeyes will host the conference tournament at Grant Field for a third time in 2012. Iowa City previously hosted the event in 1997 and 2005.

THE HAWKEYES ON BTN
Six University of Iowa field hockey regular season contests will be available via live coverage during the 2012 season. Two Hawkeye games will be televised on the BTN, while four contests will be streamed on BTN.com. All seven games at the 2012 Big Ten Tournament at Grant Field will also feature live coverage. Iowa hosts the tournament Nov. 1-4. Below is a complete list of the Iowa broadcast schedule:

2012 Iowa Live Coverage Schedule
? Sept. 16 – vs. Albany (BTN.com)
? Sept. 30 – vs. Ohio State (BTN.com)
? Oct. 5 – at Indiana (BTN)
? Oct. 21 – vs. Ball State (BTN.com)
? Oct. 26 – vs. Michigan (BTN)
? Oct. 28 – vs. Northwestern (BTN.com)

2012 Big Ten Tournament (Iowa City, Iowa)
? Nov. 1 – First Round – 3 Games (BTN.com)
? Nov. 2 – Semifinals (BTN)
? Nov. 4 – Championship (BTN)

NO SUMMER BREAK
Eight Hawkeyes competed nationally or internationally this summer. Five of the eight competed on the Midwest Senior High Performance Team. UI head coach Tracey Griesbaum served as an assistant coach for the squad. Assistant coach Meghan Beamesderfer also played on the team and was selected to the National Developmental Team. Listed below are Iowa student-athletes that competed this summer:

Canadian National Team
? Jessica Barnett
? Karli Johansen
Midwest Senior High Performance Team
? Aubrey Coleman
? Sarah Drake
? Geena Lesiak
? Kathleen McGraw
? Danielle Peirson
California High Performance Team
? Dani Hemeon
National Developmental Team selections
? Dani Hemeon
? Kathleen McGraw

HEAD COACH Tracey Griesbaum
Head coach Tracey Griesbaum enters her 13th season as the Hawkeyes’ head coach. Griesbaum owns a 146-94 record at Iowa and a 159-115 career record. At Iowa, she has mentored 16 national All-Americans, 45 regional All-Americas, 44 All-Big Ten selections, three Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award winners and two Big Ten Freshman of the Year honorees. She is joined on the coaching staff by associate head coach Lisa Cellucci, who also enters her 13th year as a member of the coaching staff, and assistant coach Meghan Beamesderfer, who returns to the sidelines for her second season.

FOLLOW THE HAWKEYES
Become fans of the official Iowa Field Hockey fan page by going to facebook.com/iowafieldhockey to follow the Hawkeyes on Facebook. Fans can also follow the Black and Gold on Twitter at twitter.com/iowafieldhockey.

UP NEXT
Iowa hits the road for a pair of matches in the state of Michigan. The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play at Michigan State on Sept. 21 at 2:00 p.m. (CT), before traveling to Mt. Pleasant, Mich., to face Central Michigan on Sept. 23 at 11 a.m. (CT).