Notes: Week 2 Lehigh/Ball State

THIS WEEK
The fourth ranked University of Iowa field hockey team has their home opener at Grant Field in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes will face Lehigh on Friday at 11:30 a.m. (CT) before playing Ball State on Sept, 6 at 11:30 a.m.

FOLLOW LIVE
• Both games will be able to be streamed on Big Ten + (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. 4 in the Week 1 NFHCA poll. The Hawkeyes have appeared in 105 consecutive polls dating back to 2016.

SERIES RECORDS
This will be the first contest between the Hawkeyes and Lehigh
The Hawkeyes are 26-2 against Ball State 

SCOUTING LEHIGH
• The Mountain Hawks are 1-0 so far this season. 
• Lehigh went 4-13 last season. 
• Senior Gracen Brant leads the team with 2 goals so far this season

   Goalkeeper Kate Burgess is yet to allow a goal this season and has made 2 saves

SCOUTING BALL STATE
• The Cardinals are 1-1 so far this season
• Ball State went 4-15 last season 
• GiGi Ranoldo and Isabella Fölster lead the team with 1 goal each 
   Goalkeeper Carleigh Hofelich has allowed 3 goals and made 16 saves

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 NCAA players with 67 career goals in 59 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 in 2025.

Top 6 Active Goal Scorers (NCAA):
1. Dionne Van Aalsum – Iowa – Sr. – 59 Games – 67 Goals  
2. Charly Bruder - North Carolina - Sr. - 65 Games - 61 Goals
3. Ashley Sessa - Northwestern - Sr. - 67 Games - 55 Goals
4. Clara Larripa - Richmond - Sr. - 60 Games - 47 Goals
5. Alaina McVeigh - Duke - Sr. - 66 Games - 46 Goals
6. Ilse Tromp - Northwestern - Sr. - 72 Games - 37 Goals

RECORD BOOK WATCH
Dionne van Aalsum is now 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. Dionne van Aalsum – 67 Goals (2023–Present)
9. Kerry Lessard – 64 Goals (1995–98)
10. Kelly Flanagan – 62 Goals (1977–80)

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