Hawkeye Fan Shop — A Black & Gold Store | 24 Hawkeyes to Watch 2018-19
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa field hockey student-athletes — Katie Birch, Maddy Murphy, and Sophie Sunderland — earned preseason All-Big Ten recognition, the Big Ten Conference announced Monday.
Birch, a junior midfielder from York, England, earned NFHCA third team All-American recognition after starting all 18 games and scoring a team-high 14 goals — the third most in the Big Ten a season ago. She recorded eight assists to tally 36 points and was second in the Big Ten with 3.83 shots per game. This is the second straight year Birch has earned preseason honors by the Big Ten Conference.
Murphy, a sophomore forward, started all 18 games last year and recorded 11 goals and 25 points. The Riana, Tasmania, native was named to the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad and earned NFHCA second team All-West Region honors. Against New Hampshire and Northwestern, she scored two goals. Murphy led the team with three game-winning goals.
Sunderland, a junior midfielder, has started all 37 games of her career. The Ipswich, England, native scored four goals last season, best for the third most on the team.
The Hawkeyes open the 2018 season in Chapel Hill, North Carolina at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge where they will play Wake Forest on Saturday and North Carolina on Sunday. Both games start at 1 p.m. (CT).
