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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa senior forward Natalie Cafone has been selected to compete in the 2016 Victory Sports Tours/NFHCA Division I Senior Game, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced Monday. Senior defender/midfielder Chandler Ackers was named an alternate for the event.
Cafone and Ackers are two of 50 Division I field hockey student-athletes selected as either participants or alternates for the 2016 Senior Game set for Nov. 19 at Old Dominion University. They are two of six seniors chosen from the Big Ten Conference.
Cafone has started 64 games in her Hawkeye career, collecting 68 goals, 23 assists, and 159 points. She is tied for sixth (Ellen Egan) on Iowa’s all-time goals list. Cafone currently leads the Big Ten in goals (20), goals per game (1.11), shots (87), shots per game (4.83), and points (48).
A native of Fairfield, New Jersey, Cafone was named NFHCA West Region Player of the Year, Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, the NCAA Statistical Champion for points, and Iowa’s Female Athlete of the Year in 2014. She is also a two-time NFHCA All-American, a two-time NFHCA All-West Region selection, and a two-time first team All-Big Ten honoree.
Ackers has started 54 games in her four-year career, tallying 18 goals, 20 assists, and 56 points. The White Haven, Pennsylvania, native has matched single-season career highs in goals (8) and assists (7) this season. She also notched her first career hat trick in Iowa’s win over Central Michigan on Oct. 7.
In her four years, Ackers has earned second team NFHCA All-Region, second team All-Big Ten, and All-Big Ten Tournament accolades. She is also a two-time member of the NFHCA Academic Squad and Big Ten All-Academic Team.
The 15th-ranked Hawkeyes (12-6; 4-4) open Big Ten Tournament play against No. 10 Northwestern on Thursday. The contest begins at 4:30 p.m. (CT) in College Park, Maryland. It will air live on the Big Ten Network.
