Weekly Release #10

This Week's Schedule
No. 6 Michigan (14-4, 4-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Penn State (14-4, 3-2 Big Ten)
Senior Day    Saturday, Nov. 1    1 p.m.   Ocker Field    Ann Arbor, Mich.

Radio/Internet: None.

Series Information: Michigan owns an all-time record of 6-18 against Penn State but has triumphed in four of the last five meetings, including a 3-1 victory in State College last season. The Wolverines are 3-6 against the Nittany Lions in Ann Arbor and have dropped the last three regular-season meetings at Ocker Field, including a 2-1 loss to PSU in 2001 during U-M's Senior Day.

Opponent Information: For information on Penn State field hockey, visit www.GoPSUSports.com.

This Week's Storylines
Honoring the Seniors -- Michigan will honor its six-member senior class on Saturday (Nov. 1) before taking on No. 7 Penn State. Three student-athletes -- April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon and Stephanie Johnson -- will have exhausted their eligibility after this season, while the other three -- Anneke Huntzicker, Laura Woitkewitsch and Jenny Zangara -- are graduating from the University in the spring.

Talking Scenarios -- Despite the loss at Ohio State last Sunday (Oct. 26), the Wolverines still have a shot at a share of the Big Ten regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but they will need to defeat Penn State and receive same help from Michigan State. Three teams -- U-M, MSU and Ohio State -- enter the weekend tied for the top spot in the conference, and no more than two of those teams will be tied for the title when Saturday's (Nov. 1) U-M game is finished. If the Wolverines win against Penn State, and the Spartans defeat the Buckeyes in East Lansing on Friday (Oct. 31), Michigan will tie MSU for the league crown and get the No. 1 seed and a bye in the tournament by virtue of a win over the Spartans earlier this season. If U-M wins and Ohio State beats MSU, Michigan will be the second seed in the conference tournament based on its loss to the Buckeyes and will be forced to play in the first round -- requiring three wins to capture the tournament. Michigan's worst-case scenario is a loss to Penn State, which could see the Wolverines drop to as low as a No. 5 seed, depending on how the MSU-OSU game shapes up.

Another Member of the 100-Point Club -- Senior Kristi Gannon has a chance to become the fifth player in the program's history to record 100 points on Saturday (Nov. 1) against Penn State. Gannon, who has 99 points on 37 goals and 25 assists, needs just one point to join the elite group. Gannon has scored a goal in each of her last three games, netting four during that time.

Big Ten Title Talk -- Michigan has a chance to capture its fourth Big Ten regular-season title this weekend with a win. It would mark the third time in the last four years U-M has finished atop the conference standings. The Wolverines won the title outright in 2000 and 2002 and tied for the crown with Penn State in 1997 -- head coach Marcia Pankratz's second season as head coach.

Fronzoni and Gannon To Play in All-Star Game -- April Fronzoni and Kristi Gannon have been selected to participate in the 2003 NFHCA Division I North/South All-Star Game, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22, on the campus of the University of Massachusetts.

News and Notes ...
Dropping a Spot to No. 6 -- The Wolverines fell to sixth in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll. U-M is one of five teams from the Big Ten in the rankings, joining Michigan State (5th), Penn State (7th), Iowa (9th) and Ohio State (15th).

The Record Is Now Hers -- Senior April Fronzoni, a candidate for the Honda Award as the nation's top field hockey player, scored one of Michigan's four goals at Old Dominion last Friday (Oct. 24) to surpass Mary Callam's (1976-79) mark for most career goals in U-M history (64). Fronzoni, who has a team-high 17 goals this season, owns 65 career markers.

Saving the Best for Last -- April Fronzoni leads U-M with 17-5-39 totals, one goal and one point shy of her career highs for a season. Fronzoni netted a career-high 18 goals and notched a career-best 40 points last season.

Saving the Best for Last II -- Kristi Gannon, who scored four goals in her first 15 games this season, has netted four markers in her last three appearances, scoring in each contest. Gannon ranks eighth in U-M history with 37 markers, and with eight markers this season has surpassed her goal total from 22 games last season (6).

Saving the Best for Last III -- Junior Laura Woitkewitsch enters this weekend's regular-season finale with an assist in each of her last three games, recording four helpers during that time. Woitkewtisch, with 0-5-5 totals this season, has established a career high for assists in a campaign, eclipsing the four she recorded last season.

The Life of Riley -- Freshman goalkeeper Beth Riley, whose 0.66 goals-against average is tops in the Big Ten and second nationally, suffered her first loss last Sunday (Oct. 26) at Ohio State and saw a shutout streak of 379:09 snapped against the Buckeyes. Riley, who emerged as the Wolverines' starting keeper on Sept. 21 against James Madison, is on pace to set U-M single-season records for lowest goals-against average and fewest goals allowed. Riley has only given up eight goals this season, six fewer than any keeper in U-M history, while her GAA, if it holds, will mark the first time in school history a Michigan netminder has posted a GAA lower than 1.00.

Lending a Helping Hand -- Junior Adrienne Hortillosa has a chance this weekend to eclipse her point totals from last season (3-13-19), entering the Penn State game with 4-10-18 totals to rank fourth on the team in points. Hortillosa leads the team with 10 assists and ranks sixth in U-M history with 26 career helpers.

Miss Consistent -- Junior Jessica Blake continues to post career numbers this season and ranks second on the team in points with 24 on eight goals and eight assists -- all career bests -- after 18 games. Blake has notched a point in all but five games this season and enters this weekend's action with a season-high four-game point streak, totaling 1-3-5 during that time, including an assist in each of her last three outings. Entering the season, Blake owned 5-5-15 totals in 39 career games.

In a Sea of Numbers, We Found This -- In the latest national statistics through games of Oct. 27, as compiled by the NFHCA, Michigan is tied for seventh in winning percentage (.778), ranks seventh in scoring offense (3.33 goals per game) and is tied for 14th in scoring defense (1.31 gpg). The Wolverine are also listed eighth in margin of victory (+2.02 gpg) ... Individually, April Fronzoni is listed in four categories -- goals (t-7th - 17), goals per game (t-13th - 0.94), points (t-10th - 39) and points per game (t-14th - 2.17), while Beth Riley ranks second in goals-against average (0.66) and third in save percentage (0.837).

Free Hits -- Michigan's 2-1 loss at Ohio State snapped the Wolverines' 11-game conference winning streak that dated back to the 2001 campaign ... The game also marked the first time this season U-M has surrendered a goal in Big Ten play ... Michigan finished the non-conference portion of its schedule with a 10-3 record.

Next Up - The Big Ten Tournament ...
The Wolverines will travel to State College, Pa., next weekend for the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Penn State. The first round is slated for Friday, Nov. 7, while the semifinals will take place on Saturday, Nov. 8. The Big Ten championship game and the automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament will be contested on Sunday, Nov. 9. All matches will take place at Bigler Field on the campus of PSU.

If You've Been With Us All Season, These May Look Familiar ...
The Career Points Leader -- Senior April Fronzoni established the school record for career points with a goal against Indiana (Oct. 11) and now holds the mark with 147. The old record was owned by Mary Callam, who notched 136 points from 1976-79.

A Loss to the Field Hockey Family -- The U-M field hockey program received some bad news prior to leaving for the Central Michigan match on Monday, Oct. 13. Rachael (Geisthardt) Townsend, a four-year letterwinner and goalkeeper from 1992-95, passed away unexpectedly on Oct. 12 after completing the Chicago Marathon. Townsend was 29. In honor of Townsend, Michigan is wearing black bands on the left shoulder of its uniforms with the number "18" on it.

Not Afraid To Play the Tough Ones -- Michigan has 10 of the 20 teams ranked in the latest STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll on its 2003 schedule, including three of the top four teams in the poll -- No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 3 Maryland and No. 4 North Carolina.

Training in Europe -- The squad traveled to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, during the 2003 preseason to compete against club teams in the Amsterdam area as well as Cologne Rot-Weiss, the team junior Laura Woitkewitsch played for before coming to U-M.

Freshmen 15 -- Freshman Jill Civic appeared in the first-ever edition of Sports Illustrated On Campus as one of the nation's top 15 newcomers -- the Freshmen 15 -- in all NCAA Division I sports.

Five Alive -- With her Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week award on Sept. 8, senior April Fronzoni tied the school record for most Big Ten Player of the Week honors, held by Kelli Gannon (1997-2000).

2003 Honors and Awards ...
Big Ten Conference Offensive Player of the Week
   April Fronzoni - Sept. 8
Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Week
   Stephanie Johnson - Sept. 15
   Beth Riley - Oct. 20

Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423