Notes: 2026 ACC/Big Ten Challenge

THIS WEEK
The University of Iowa field hockey team opens the 2026 season traveling to the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Winston Salem, N.C.. The Hawkeyes will face seventh-ranked Wake Forest on Friday at 6:00 p.m. (CT) before playing second-ranked North Carolina on August 30 at 11 a.m.

FOLLOW LIVE
• Both games will be able to be streamed on ACCNX/ESPN+ (subscription required).
• Iowa field hockey fans can follow all contests via live stats on hawkeyesports.com.  Game updates are also available on X/@iowafieldhockey.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Iowa is ranked No. 11 in the preseason NFHCA poll. The Hawkeyes have appeared in 104 consecutive polls dating back to 2016.

SERIES RECORDS
• The Hawkeyes went 1-1 at the 2025 Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Ann Arbor, downing No. 20 Wake Forest (5-4) before falling to No. 2 North Carolina (4-1).
• Iowa is 13-13 all-time against the Demon Deacons. The Hawkeyes have won 12 of the last 13 meetings in the series. 
• The Hawkeyes are 5-34 all-time against North Carolina.

SCOUTING WAKE FOREST
• The Demon Deacons are ranked 7th in the NFHCA preseason rankings. 
• Wake Forest went 15-5 last season. 
• Mia Montag earned her first Preseason All-ACC selection and Mia Schoenbeck earned her third straight.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
• The Tar Heels are ranked No. 2 nationally in the preseason NFHCA poll.
• UNC had one player -- Charly Bruder -- earn Preseason All-ACC Team honors. 
• North Carolina went 21-2 overall last season.  

HAWKEYES TO WATCH
Four Hawkeyes made their way on to preseason watch lists this season. 
• Fréderique van Cleef, Dionne van Aalsum and Jordan Byers were named to the Big Ten Players to Watch List.
• Byers, van Aalsum, van Cleef and Gia Whalen were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Watch List.

LAST SEASON
The Iowa Hawkeyes ended their 2025 season with a 14-6 record after falling to #8 Duke, 2-1, in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. 
• Iowa went 6-3 at home, 5-1 away, and 3-2 in neutral play. 
• The Hawkeyes went 5-3 in Big Ten play.
• Iowa was ranked in the NFCHA poll every week of the season.

2026 TEAM INFORMATION
Letterwinners Returning/Lost 16/2
Starters Returning/Lost 9/2
7 Gia Whalen (20 starts, 919 min., two goals, one assist)
10 Dionne van Aalsum (19 starts, 921 min., 28 goals, three assists)
24 Fréderique van Cleef (19 starts, 896 min., 12 goals, five assists)
5 Lieve van Kessel (19 starts, 840 min., five goals, three assists)
23 Téa Fortpied (18 starts, 1109 min., two assists)
20 Jordan Byers (17 starts, 989 min., one goal, four assists)
2 Rachel Herbine (14 starts, 794 min., five assists)
14 Lauren DeRose (14 starts, 703 min.)
4 Niamh de Jong (9 starts, 688 min., one assist)

Newcomers: 6

ALL-AMERICANS
• Two standout Hawkeyes earned NFHCA All-American honors for the 2025 season: Dionne van Aalsum and van Cleef
• van Aalsum earned her second career All-America nod as she led the nation with 28 goals and 1.40 goals per game and was second with 59 points and 2.95 points per game.
• van Cleef earned her first All-American of her career as she finished second on the team in both goals and assists playing in every game, tallying 12 goals and five assists.

5 HAWKEYES EARN ALL-WEST REGION HONORS IN 2025
• Five Hawkeyes earned All-West Region recognition for the 2025 season: Jordan Byers, Mia Magnotta, Milly Short, Dionne van Aalsum, and Fréderique van Cleef. 
• Van Aalsum and van Cleef were named to All-West Region first team.
• Magnotta, Short, and Byers were named to All-West Region second team.

7 HAWKEYES EARN BIG TEN HONORS IN 2025 
• Seven Hawkeyes earned Big Ten recognition for the 2025 season: 
• Dionne Van Aalsum and Fréderique van Cleef were named to the All-Big Ten first team.
• Jordan Byers, Téa Fortpied, and Milly Short were named to the All-Big Ten second team. 
• Byers, Fortpied, and Felecia Zonnenberg were selected to the All-Freshman Team.
• Lieve Van Kessel was Iowa’s Sportsmanship Award nominee.

HOME SWEET HOME
Iowa has received approval from the Iowa Board of Regents to move forward with plans to construct a new field hockey operations building adjacent to Grant Field. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall with the Hawkeyes expecting to open the doors to their new facility prior to next season. 
• Designed to better support student-athletes and bring team activities together in one building specifically for their needs, the project carries an estimated budget of $8.65 million and will be funded entirely through donor support.
• The new facility creates a centralized location that supports the full range of team activities. Planned features include home, visitor, and staff locker rooms, coaches’ offices, film room, conference room, and a multi-purpose space. Additional amenities will include an athletic training room, lobby, mudroom, and dedicated storage.

DIONNE VAN AWESOME
Dionne Van Aalsum leads all active Division I players with 64 career goals in 56 games. 
• She led the nation with 28 goals as a freshman before scoring nine goals a season ago. 
• She totaled a national best 28 goals in 2025 and averaged 1.40 goals per game.
Top 10 Active Goal Scorers (Division I):
1. Dionne Van Aalsum – Iowa – Jr. – 56 Games – 64 Goals  
2. Ryleigh Heck – North Carolina – Sr. – 83 Games – 62 Goals
3.     Nicole Poulakis – New Hampshire – Sr. – 77 Games – 60 Goals
4. Charly Bruder – North Carolina – Jr. – 60 Games – 59 Goals
5. Makenna Webster – Ohio State – Sr. – 76 Games – 58 Goals
6. Beth Yeager – Princeton – Sr. – 69 Games – 56 Goals
7. Ashley Sessa – Northwestern – Jr. – 62 Games – 52 Goals
8. Mallory Camryn – Central Michigan – Sr. – 75 Games – 51 Goals
8. Valeria Perales – Rider – Sr. – 69 Games – 51 Goals
8.     Tasmin Cookman – New Hampshire – Sr. – 77 Games – 51 Goals

RECORD BOOK WATCH
Dionne van Aalsum is now tied for 8th all time in program history for career goals: 
1. Kristy Gleason – 132 Goals (1989–93)
2. Annie-Marie Thomas – 88 Goals (1979–82)
3. Marcia Pankratz – 76 Goals (1982–85)
    Erica Richards – 76 Goals (1986–89)
5. Liz Tchou – 75 Goals (1984–87)
6. Natalie Cafone – 68 Goals (2012–16)
    Ellen Egan – 68 Goals (1980–83)
8. Kerry Lessard – 64 Goals (1995–98)
    Dionne van Aalsum – 64 Goals (2023–Present)
9. Kelly Flanagan – 62 Goals (1977–80)
10. Lauren Pfeiffer – 53 Goals (2005–08)

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
•The Hawkeyes have made 30 NCAA Tournament appearances — the most of any school as a member of the Big Ten Conference — and have reached 12 NCAA Final Fours, including winning the 1986 NCAA Championship.
• Iowa is 30-29 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. The program’s 30 NCAA Tournament victories and 12 Final Four appearances are the most of any Big Ten school.

B1G TIME PROGRAM
Iowa, the Big Ten’s winningest field hockey program, has won 211 conference games since 1981, including a conference-best 30 NCAA Tournament wins in 30 NCAA Tournament appearances. Iowa has advanced to 29 Sweet Sixteens, 21 Elite Eights, and 12 Final Fours. The Hawkeyes won the 1986 NCAA championship, becoming the first Midwestern program to claim a national title. The program has produced 107 All-Americans and has won 16 Big Ten regular season championships and six Big Ten Tournament titles.

Big Ten Record:
1. Iowa, 211-113-3
2. Michigan, 178-138-8
3. Northwestern, 174-146-5 
4. Penn State, 170-88-0
5. Ohio State, 126-189-10
6. Michigan State, 93-224-9
7. Maryland, 75-21-0
8. Indiana, 44-139-0
9. Rutgers, 43-53-0
10. Purdue, 24-24-11
11. Minnesota, 0-3-0