IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa field hockey seniors Anthe Nijziel, Lokke Stribos and Esme Gibson were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, it was announced Wednesday by the Big Ten office. It is the third straight season Nijziel and Stribos have been preseason honorees.
Last season, each of the trio started every game, leading the Hawkeyes to an outright Big Ten regular season title and to an NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Iowa finished the season 17-3 overall.
Nijziel returns to anchor Iowa’s defense as the two-time reigning Big Ten Player and Defensive Player of the Year. The Eindhoven, Netherlands, native also earned NFHCA first-team All-America honors and was the NFHCA West Region Player of the Year in 2021. Nijziel started all 20 games, logging 1,119 minutes and she played the duration of 15 contests, finishing with five goals and four assists.
Stribos earned NFHCA first-team All-West Region and second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021 after scoring eight goals and tallying two assists. The Belgium native was also a key member of a Hawkeye defense that posted an NCAA-best 11 shutouts a season ago.
Gibson garnered her first career All-America honors, earning third-team laurels a season ago. The midfielder started all 20 games, scoring six goals, including two game-winners, and tallying two assists. The England native was also a second-team All-Big Ten and a Big Ten All-Tournament team selection.
The Hawkeyes, ranked fifth in the Penn Monto/NFHCA preseason poll, open the season with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Iowa will face No. 20 Wake Forest on Friday and No. 2 North Carolina on Sunday at Truist Field.
