IOWA CITY, Iowa – Senior Anthe Nijziel has been named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced Monday by the league office. It is the Big Ten weekly honor of her career.
The Eindhoven, Netherlands, native earned the distinction after anchoring an Iowa defense that posted back-to-back shutouts in road victories over Indiana and No. 5 Louisville. Nijziel went the distance in both games and the Hawkeyes allowed a combined nine shots en route to their fifth and sixth consecutive shutout.
The win over Louisville was the team’s first since 2008 and it was Iowa’s first road win over a top-five ranked opponent since 2007 – a 2-0 victory at No. 4 Duke.
The Hawkeyes are 8-0 this season – the program’s best start since 1999 – with three victories over top-11 ranked opponents (No. 1 North Carolina, No. 5 Louisville and No. 11 Wake Forest).
Nijziel is the second Hawkeye to earn Big Ten weekly recognition, joining senior Maddy Murphy, who was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 30. Nijziel earned a Defensive Player of the Week honor last season and she also received Freshman of the Week honors in 2018.
Iowa returns to action Friday, hosting No. 8 Penn State at 6 p.m. (CT) at Grant Field.
