IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa student-athletes Tory Taylor (football) and Anthe Nijziel (field hockey) were named October’s Student-Athletes of the Month. The University of Iowa Student-Athlete Academic Services (SAAS) made the announcement Friday.
Taylor, a sophomore, was named a first-team midseason All-American by The Athletic. The Melbourne, Australia, native pinned Maryland inside its own 20-yard line twice while averaging 43.2 yards on four punts Oct. 1. The Hawkeye punter was crucial in Iowa’s win over Penn State on Oct. 9 – averaging 44.2 yards on nine punts while placing six inside the 20 and five inside the 10-yard line. Last weekend in Madison, Taylor averaged 49 yards on seven punts against the Badgers.
Off the field, Taylor has volunteered with the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood Center and Hallow-Ridge Halloween.
Nijziel, hailing from Eindhoven, Netherlands, led the Hawkeyes to a 6-1 record with four wins over nationally ranked opponents (at No. 6 Rutgers, at No. 7 Maryland, No. 2 Michigan, No. 19 Ohio State). She scored four goals and tallied an assist to anchor an Iowa defense that posted three shutouts. Nijziel played every possible minute on the pitch throughout the month of October (440 minutes). The defender scored the game-tying goal in Iowa’s eventual 2-1 shootout victory over No. 2 Michigan. Nijziel was named Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18 and NFHCA National Defensive Player of the week on Oct. 20. More recently, the Hawkeye senior was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Year as well as Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season after leading Iowa to the regular season Big Ten title for the second time in three seasons. She is the only Hawkeye to earn both accolades in the same season. It is the program’s first outright title since 1999.
Outside of field hockey, Nijziel has spent her time volunteering with the I-Club, Habitat for Humanity and the Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP).