IOWA CITY, Iowa – Six University of Iowa field hockey student-athletes have been named National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-West Region selections, it was announced Monday by the NFHCA.
Seniors Grace McGuire, Maddy Murphy, Anthe Nijziel and Lokke Stribos and junior Esme Gibson were named first-team selections, while senior Ellie Holley earned second-team honors. The six all-region honorees are the most for the program since 2008.
Nijziel earned her fourth career all-region distinction after anchoring an Iowa defense that posted an NCAA-best 11 shutouts and limited opponents to 110 shots in 20 games. Offensively, the Netherlands native scored five goals and tallied four assists as a key part of the Hawkeye penalty corner unit that was one of the best in the nation.
Nijziel adds to her 2021 accolades as she was previously tabbed as the Big Ten Co-Player of the Year, Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, while also being a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten honoree.
McGuire earned her first career all-region nod after posting a 0.75 goals against average and making 46 saves on the year. The St. Louis, Missouri, native had a school-record eight consecutive shutouts in September and finished with 11 shutouts on the season. The second-team All-Big Ten honoree finished the year with 17 wins and had a .754 save percentage.
Murphy earned her fourth career first-team all-region and fifth all-region nod overall after tying for the team lead with 27 points in 2021. The Tasmania native scored seven goals, which included three game-winners, and had a team-high 13 assists. The forward was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Stribos earned her third career all-region nod, including her second straight first-team honor, after scoring eight goals – second-most on the team – and tallying two assists as part of Iowa’s penalty corner unit. The Belgium native also was a key cog on an Iowa defense that surrendered just 62 shots on goal on the season and 5.5 shots per game. Stribos was also a second-team All-Big Ten honoree.
Gibson earned her second straight all-region (and first career first-team honor) after scoring six goals and tallying two assists as a Hawkeye midfielder. The England native started all 20 games in 2021, scoring two game-winning goals. The midfielder was also tabbed as a second-team All-Big Ten honoree this season.
Holley earned her third career all-region honor after tying for the team lead with 27 points. The United Kingdom native scored eight goals, including a team-high four game-winning goals, and had 11 assists – second-most on the team. The forward was a key goal scorer for a Hawkeye offense that ranked third nationally with 66 goals.
Iowa finished the 2021 season with a 17-3 overall record and an outright Big Ten regular season title. The Hawkeyes advanced to the Elite Eight for the 19th time in program history where they fell 1-0 to eventual national champion Northwestern.
