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2008 Season in Review
Dec. 10, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format Iowa’s quest for a second national title ended in a 2-1 overtime loss to eventual champion and top-seeded Maryland in the semifinals of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship on No. 21. The Hawkeyes edged Louisville and conference foe Michigan State to earn a spot in the national semifinals. Iowa was making its 11th overall NCAA Tournament semifinals appearance. Three Big Ten teams earned bids to the national field hockey tournament this year. Iowa earned the conference’s automatic qualification after winning the Big Ten Tournament. Big Ten Champion Penn State and Michigan State earned at-large bids. This was the ninth time in the last 10 years that the Big Ten has had three or more teams in the NCAA Championship. Overall, the conference went 3-3 in this year’s event. Nine players were recognized nationally as members of the 2008 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America teams, including two-time first-team honoree Jen Long of Penn State. Iowa’s Caroline Blaum and Lauren Pfeiffer, Michigan State’s Floor Rijpma and Ohio State’s Linda Haussener join Long on the first team. Earning second-team accolades are Iowa’s Roz Ellis, Michigan State’s Jeamie Deacon and the Penn State duo of Jen Beaumont and Allie Scola. All three of the Big Ten’s NCAA tournament teams were ranked in the top 11 of the STX/NFHCA Coaches Poll at the end of the regular season. Iowa ranked sixth and Michigan State and Penn State ranked 10th and 11th, respectively. Ohio State finished the season ranked 14th, while Indiana was receiving votes.
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