Sept. 19, 2012
- 2012 Iowa Field Hockey Media Guide
- USA Field Hockey
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Complete Release in PDF Format
THIS WEEK
The 13th-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team travels to Michigan for two games this weekend. The Hawkeyes open Big Ten play Friday against No. 15 Michigan State at Ralph Young Field, beginning at 2 p.m. Iowa then faces Central Michigan on Sunday at the CMU Field Hockey Complex at 11 a.m. Both times are Central.
ON THE NET
Fans can 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.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
Michigan State owns a 5-3 mark, including a 4-2 home record. All three Spartan losses have come against ranked opponents — Boston College (1-0), Virginia (2-1, 2OT), Northeastern (3-1). Sophomore Abby Barker leads Michigan State with seven goals and 14 points. Barker ranks fourth in the Big Ten in goals and goals per game (0.88). Junior Molly Cassidy has started all eight games in goal for the Spartans, posting a 1.32 goals against average and a .833 save percentage, marks that rank second and third in the Big Ten. Michigan State is coached by Hellen Knull.
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN
Central Michigan is 3-4 entering the weekend. The Chippewas have scored victories over Radford (2-1), Delaware (4-3 OT), and Maine (1-0). Senior Erin Dye leads CMU with nine points and shares the team-lead in goals (4) with junior Bailey McKeon. Senior Anastasia Netto has played every minute in goal this season for the Chippewas, registering a 2.40 goals against average and a .696 save percentage. Head coach Cristy Freese and CMU face Miami (Ohio) on Friday.
HAWKEYES VS. SPARTANS HISTORY
Iowa leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 46-12-1. The Hawkeyes won the last meeting between the two squads, defeating the Spartans, 2-0, on Sept. 23, 2011. Iowa is 17-6 all-time in game played in East Lansing, with its last victory occurring Nov. 16, 2008 (1-0). The Hawkeyes will open Big Ten play against Michigan State for the third-straight season.
HAWKEYES VS. CHIPPEWAS HISTORY
The Hawkeyes are a perfect 7-0 all-time against Central Michigan. Iowa downed the Chippewas, 1-0, last season. Six of the Hawkeyes seven victories in the series have been shutouts. Iowa has shutout Central Michigan in all three games played in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., with the last coming on Sept. 26, 2010 (1-0).
IOWA IN B1G OPENERS
Iowa is 18-11 all-time in Big Ten openers, including a 5-7 mark under head coach Tracey Griesbaum. The Hawkeyes last won an away Big Ten opener on Sept. 25, 2009, beating Michigan 3-2. Iowa has won the Big Ten regular season title 10 times in program history.
PENN MONTO/NFHCA RANKINGS
The Hawkeyes moved up one spot to No. 13 in the Sept. 18 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association rankings. Iowa received 344 points in the poll. Six of the seven Big Ten field hockey team were ranked, including two in the top 10 — Penn State (6) and Northwestern (10). Nine Hawkeye opponents appeared in the rankings, including this Friday’s opponent, No. 15 Michigan State.
NCAA FIELD HOCKEY RPI RANKINGS
Iowa was tabbed 18th in the first NCAA field hockey RPI ranking Sept. 17. Five Big Ten teams were ranked in the top-25 — Penn State (6), Northwestern (12), Michigan State (14), Michigan (21), Indiana (25). Ten Iowa opponents were ranked with a top-25 RPI. North Carolina, ranked fourth, received the highest ranking of any Iowa opponent.
LAST TIME OUT
Iowa improved to 2-0 at Grant Field with a 2-1 victory over 20th-ranked Albany on Sept. 16. Junior Kelsey Mitchell scored both goals for the Hawkeyes, while senior Kathleen McGraw made eight stops en route to her fifth victory of the season.
GRIESBAUM THREE AWAY FROM 150
Head coach Tracey Griesbaum is three wins away from her 150th victory at Iowa. Griesbaum would become the third Hawkeye coach to reach 150 wins, joining Beth Beglin (199 career wins) and Judith Davidson (185 career wins). Griesbaum owns a 147-94 record at Iowa, and a 160-115 career record.
MCGRAW EARNS BACK-TO-BACK B1G HONORS
Senior goalkeeper Kathleen McGraw was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week the past two weeks. McGraw is the first Hawkeye to earn the conference award in back-to-back weeks since Jessica Barnett, who accomplished the feat last season (Oct. 11, Oct. 18). Goalkeeper Barb Weinberg was the last Hawkeye to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Week awards, winning the weekly honor in consecutive weeks on Oct. 11, 2004 and Oct. 18, 2004.
McGraw earned her first accolade Sept. 11 after posting a pair of shutouts during the team’s West Coast swing Sept. 7-10. McGraw finished the weekend with 10 saves, a 1.29 goals against average and a .769 save percentage. The Atherton, Calif., native received the honor a second time Sept. 18 after leading the Hawkeyes to a 2-1 victory over No. 20 Albany on Sept. 16 at Grant Field. McGraw made eight saves and had a .889 save percentage against an aggressive Great Dane offensive attack that had 15 shots and 11 penalty corners. McGraw has received the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolade three times in her career.
MCGRAW APPROACHES ELITE COMPANY
Senior Kathleen McGraw has made 277 career stops for the Hawkeyes, ranking sixth all-time in program history. McGraw is 15 saves away from passing Lissa Munley (292 career saves) for fifth all-time. Associate head coach Lisa Cellucci holds the career saves record with 523 stops.
NOTHING GETS PAST MCGRAW
Senior Kathleen McGraw is tied for first the Big Ten in shutouts (3) and shutouts per game (0.43). McGraw has shutout Missouri State (10-0), Pacific (6-0) and UC Davis. McGraw has posted a 1.54 goals against average and a .738 save percentage in seven games this season. The Atherton, Calif., native led the Big Ten with five shutouts in 2011. McGraw has posted 13 shutouts in 61 career games.
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.
MITCHELL, HEMEON SCORE TWO
Junior Kelsey Mitchell and sophomore Dani Hemeon have both registered the first multi-goal of their Hawkeye careers this season. Mitchell scored two goals against No. 20 Albany on Sept. 16, finding the goal at the 3:26 mark and the 37:40 mark. Hemeon scored twice Sept. 10 against UC Davis. Both goals were scored via penalty corners, with the first coming at the 5:39 mark and the second at the 53:00 mark
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.
FOUR WITH FOUR
Senior Jessica Barnett, juniors Aubrey Coleman and Kelsey Mitchell, and sophomore Dani Hemeon have all scored a team-high four goals this season. The quartet is tied for ninth in the Big Ten in goals and 10th in the league with 0.57 goals per game. All four individuals have had one multi-goal game this season. Mitchell paces the Hawkeyes with 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists), ranking 10th in the Big Ten.
HAWKEYE HELPERS
Senior Geena Lesiak paces the Big Ten with 0.86 assists per game, and is tied for third in total assists with six, while teammate Niki Schultheis ranks third in assists per game (0.71) and fifth in total assists (5). Three of Lesiak’s assists came against Missouri State on Sept. 2. The three assists in one game are the most by a Big Ten athlete this season, and the second-most in NCAA Division I field hockey.
HAWKEYE OFFENSE RANKS HIGH
The Hawkeyes rank third in the Big Ten in seven offensive statistical categories. Iowa is third in scoring margin (2.10), scoring average (3.63), shots (138), shots per game (19.71), goals scored (26), goals scored per game (3.71), and penalty corners (60).
IOWA IN THE TOP 10
Iowa ranks in the top 10 in the NCAA in three statistical categories. The Hawkeyes are tied for third in shutouts per game (0.43), ninth in goals per game (3.71), and 10th in scoring average (3.63). The Hawkeyes just missed the top 10 in scoring margin, as they ranked 11th (2.10).
HAWKEYES SET TEAM HIGHS
The Hawkeyes have set or tied three 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. 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.
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.
TCHOU INDUCTED INTO HOF
Former Hawkeye Liz Tchou officially became a member of the National Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 14. She was joined by four other former Iowa athletes in the 2012 class, the 24th class to be inducted. Tchou was honored at halftime of Iowa’s game against Albany on Sept. 16. Tchou was also recognized at halftime of Iowa’s football game against Northern Iowa on Sept. 15.
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.
HAWKEYES TO HOST BIG TEN TOURNAMENTM
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
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 returns home to Grant Field to face Ohio State on Sunday, Sept. 30. The game will be streamed live on BTN.com.