IOWA CITY, Iowa —The University of Iowa field hockey team celebrated the 2015 season at its annual awards banquet inside the press box at Kinnick Stadium last Friday evening.
Team awards, voted on by the players on the team, were announced at the banquet.
Mallory Lefkowitz was named team MVP following a sophomore campaign that saw her score 14 points on five goals and four assists. One of seven Hawkeyes to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors, Lefkowitz started all 19 games in 2015 and was second on the team in goals scored during conference play with three. The Kingston, Pennsylvania, native was credited with the second game-winning goal of her career in Iowa’s 7-1 trouncing of Kent State and shared the team lead in defensive saves with one.
The Nancy McLinden Carr Award — presented to the player who consistently exudes enthusiasm, energy, and a positive attitude within the Iowa field hockey program — was awarded to junior Sophie Plasteras. The North Vancouver, Canada, native saw action in all 19 games in 2015, notching six starts, including Iowa’s final four games. An Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Plasteras tallied five points on one goal and three assists. She scored the game-winning goal in Iowa’s 3-1 home victory over Michigan State. Plasteras was also named Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.
The Dr. Christine Grant Leadership Award — presented to the player who demonstrates leadership on a daily basis, while also representing the University of Iowa in a first-class manner on and off the field — was presented to junior goalkeeper Alexandra Pecora. A second-year starter, Pecora started every game for the Hawkeyes in 2015, logging 1,322:02 minutes at goal. The Marlton, New Jersey, native tallied 88 saves — the fourth most in the Big Ten — and posted a 1.96 goals against average. She recorded her third career shutout in Iowa’s 2-0 victory over Missouri State. The Academic All-Big Ten honoree also matched her career high in saves in a single game (13) in a 3-2 loss at Penn State.
Lefkowitz and freshman Riley Kniptash shared Practice Player of the Year honors. Kniptash, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, saw action in 10 games this past season, making her collegiate debut in Iowa’s 2-1 season opening overtime victory over No. 11 Wake Forest at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan.