IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa field hockey juniors Mia Magnotta, Milly Short and sophomore Dionne van Aalsum have been named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List, it was announced Wednesday. It is the second straight season Magnotta has a been preseason honoree.
Last season, the trio lead the Hawkeyes to a 13-6 overall record. Iowa made its sixth straight and 28th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history
Magnotta played the duration of all 19 games last season. She allowed 21 goals, tallied 69 saves and was part of eight Hawkeye shutouts.
The Forty-Fort, Pennsylvania, native tallied a career-high eight saves against No. 2 Northwestern breaking her previous career high six saves in a win over No. 1 North Carolina. Magnotta ranked second in the conference and sixth in the nation in goals against average (1.09).
Short started all 19 games in 2023, logging 1,127 minutes, the second most on the team. She played 60 minutes or more for the Hawkeye defense in 15 games and anchored a defense that recorded eight shutouts, with three coming against ranked opponents. Iowa’s defense ranked third in the nation in shutouts (8) and shutouts per game (.42).
Van Aalsum started all 19 games en route to All-America honors last season as a true freshman. The Castricum, Netherlands, native became the first Hawkeye freshman to be named an All-American since Kristy Gleason in 1989.
The Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big Ten selection played a key factor offensively as she led the nation with 28 goals, 62 points, 1.47 goals per game and 3.26 points per game.
The Hawkeyes, ranked sixth in the Penn Monto/NFHCA preseason poll, open the season with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Iowa will face No. 18 Wake Forest on Friday and defending NCAA Champion and second-ranked North Carolina on Sunday.