Weekly Release #14
12/15/2003 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
2003 Season Storylines ...
A Winning Tradition -- Michigan, with a 17-6 record, topped the 15-win mark for the seventh straight season. Under head coach Marcia Pankratz, who completed her eighth season, the Wolverines have averaged 16.25 wins a season.
NCAA Semifinal Staple -- U-M advanced to the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship semifinals in 2003 for the third time in the last five years, the only seasons U-M has been invited to the NCAA Tournament. 2003 marked the Wolverines' fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
Field Hockeytown -- Michigan captured its fourth Big Ten regular-season title, marking 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. U-M posted a 5-1 mark in league play in 2003, sharing the crown with Michigan State.
Among the Best -- Michigan finished the season ranked in all four statistical categories kept by the NFHCA -- winning percentage (t-8th, .739), scoring defense (11th, 1.28 goals per game), scoring offense (t-11th, 3.00 gpg) and margin of victory (9th, +1.72 goals per game).
Among the Best II -- Senior April Fronzoni finished the 2003 campaign ranked nationally in four categories -- points (t-12th, 47), points per game (17th, 2.04), goals (t-11th, 20) and goals per game (16th, 0.87) -- while freshman Beth Riley was ranked second in goals against average (0.82) and tied for 15th with her .791 save percentage.
News and Notes ...
Eleven Wolverines Named Academic All-Big Ten -- Junior Kate Dillon, senior Kristi Gannon, sophomore Lori Hillman, junior Anneke Huntzicker, senior Stephanie Johnson, redshirt freshman Nicole Lonsway, redshirt freshman Lauren MacMillan, junior Molly Maloney, redshirt freshman Katie Morris, junior Laura Woitkewitsch and junior Jenny Zangara were all named to the Academic All-Big Ten Field Hockey team. To be eligible for the squad, student-athletes must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Honda Award Finalist ... Again -- For the second straight season senior April Fronzoni was one of four finalists for the Honda Award, given annually to the nation's top field hockey player. As a finalist, $1,000 was donated in Fronzoni's name to the U-M women's sports scholarship fund.
Coach of the Year -- Head Coach Marcia Pankratz was named the 2003 Dita/NFHCA West Region Coach of The Year, marking her third career Region Coach of the Year honor. Pankratz also received the honor in 1999 and 2000. The 2003 Dita/NFHCA Division I National Coach of the Year will be announced at the NFHCA Awards Luncheon, scheduled for January 10, 2004, in Baltimore, Md.
All-American Trio -- Seniors April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon and Stephanie Johnson all received STX/NFHCA All-American honors, with Fronzoni and Gannon earning first-team distinction while Johnson was selected to the second team. Fronzoni and Gannon received first-team All-America honors for the second straight season and become the second and third players in the program's history to be named to the first team twice. Kelli Gannon (1997-2000) also accomplished the feat with a first-team selection in 1999 and 2000. Fronzoni captured her third All-America honor, adding to her third-team selection in 2000, while Gannon received All-America laurels for the second time. Johnson was a third-team selection a year ago.
All-West Region Teams Announced -- Four Wolverines received STX/NFHCA All-West Region honors, including three who earned first-team accolades. Seniors April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon and Stephanie Johnson were named to the All-West Region first team, while junior Adrienne Hortillosa earned second-team honors. Fronzoni is on the first team for the fourth time in her career, a U-M record, while Gannon and Johnson earned first-team distinction for the third and second times in their careers, respectively.
The Big Ten Does It Again -- With Michigan's appearance in the national semifinals, the Big Ten was represented among the NCAA Tournament's final four teams for the third straight year. In 2001, Michigan won the national title, while last season, Michigan State and Penn State got into the national semifinals.
Natural-Born Scorer -- Senior April Fronzoni led U-M in goals and points with a career-high 20-7-47 in 2003, representing over 28 percent of the Wolverines' goal total (70) and nearly 24 percent of Michigan's point total (197). Fronzoni's 47 points eclipsed her previous career high of 40, set during a 22-game span last season, while her career-high 20 markers top last season's total of 18. Fronzoni was fifth on U-M's single-season goal-scoring chart, while her point total also ranked fifth.
No Sophomore Slump Here -- Sophomore Lori Hillman netted a career-best three goals in 2003 and tallied a career-high eight assists for 14 points, the top point total of her career. Last season, Hillman totaled 2-1-3, scoring her first career markers with a two-goal effort in her final game of the season.
A New Member of the 100-Point Club -- Senior Kristi Gannon became the fifth player in U-M field hockey history to record 100 career points, accomplishing the feat against No. 7 Penn State on Nov. 1. Gannon, who has 37 goals and 26 assists to her credit, ranks eighth in career goals at U-M and is seventh on the Wolverines' career assists chart, one behind junior Adrienne Hortillosa.
Finishing Strong -- Junior Jenny Zangara posted season totals of 2-4-8, marking career highs for goals, assists and points. Zangara, who also scored two goals during the 2002 season, entered the 2003 campaign with career totals of 3-3-9 in 31 games, and nearly equaled that total in 22 contests this year. Zangara, who redshirted in 2000, will graduate from the University in the spring and will not return for the 2004 season.
Saving the Best for Last -- Junior Laura Woitkewitsch, with 0-6-6 totals in 2003, established a career high for assists in a campaign, eclipsing the four she recorded last season. Woitkewitsch, who joined the program in 2001, will graduate from the University in the spring and will not return for the 2004 season.
Twentysomething -- Junior Adrienne Hortillosa eclipsed her point totals from last season (3-13-19) and notched 6-11-23 to rank fourth on the team. Hortillosa, an All-Big Ten second-team selection for the second time in her career, led the team with 11 assists and ranks sixth in U-M history with 27 career helpers.
A Career Year -- Junior Jessica Blake ranked second on the team in points with 27 on nine goals and nine assists -- all career bests. Blake, who was named to the All-Big Ten second team, owned 5-5-15 totals in 39 career games entering the 2003 campaign.
A Record for Riley -- Freshman goalkeeper Beth Riley, who owned a 15-2 record to go along with a 0.82 goals-against average and a .791 save percentage, set the U-M single-season record for lowest goals-against average and tied the school mark for fewest goals allowed. Riley gave up 14 goals in 2003, equaling the mark set by Jonnie Terry (1982) and Nancy Hirsch (1981). Riley's GAA marks the first time in school history a Michigan netminder has posted a GAA lower than 1.00 and eclipses Terry's mark of 1.00 in 1982. Riley emerged as the Wolverines' starting keeper on Sept. 21 against James Madison.
First Time for Everything -- Junior Kate Dillon was credited with her first career goal in 2003, scoring against New Hampshire (Sept. 14), and tied a career high with three points. Dillon also saw action in all of U-M's 23 games, a career high.
What a Year! -- Junior Anneke Huntzicker had a breakout year in 2003, scoring four goals -- the only ones of her career -- while playing in a career-high 18 games. Prior to the season, Huntzicker owned 0-0-0 totals in 13 games played. Huntzicker, who redshirted in 2001, will graduate from the University in the spring and will not return for the 2004 season.
If Youve Been With Us All Season, These May Look Familiar ...
Four Straight -- Senior Kristi Gannon became the fourth player in the history of the conference to earn four straight All-Big Ten first-team accolades. Gannon has earned first-team laurels in each of the last four seasons and is the only player in the program's history to accomplish that feat. Along with Gannon, Iowa's Liz Tchou (1984-87), Northwestern's Amy Kekeisen (1982-85) and Jennifer Averill (1983-86) are the only players in Big Ten history to be named All-Big Ten first team on four occasions.
Senior Night at the Big Ten Banquet -- Michigan's three seniors -- April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon and Stephanie Johnson -- were all honored at the Big Ten Awards Banquet at Penn State, with each receiving multiple honors. Fronzoni was named the league's Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Gannon earned the conference's Athlete of the Year award. Johnson was tabbed for the second consecutive season as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, while all three were unanimous selections to the All-Big Ten first team. In addition, juniors Jessica Blake and Adrienne Hortillosa were voted to the All-Big Ten second team.
Leaving a Legacy -- Senior April Fronzoni set the school record for career points with a goal against Indiana (Oct. 11) and holds the all-time record with 155. The old mark was held by Mary Callam, who notched 136 points from 1976-79. Just under two weeks later at Old Dominion (Oct. 24), Fronzoni eclipsed Callam's career goal-scoring record with her 65th marker, surpassing Callam's record of 64. Fronzoni finished her career with 68 career goals.
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 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 wore black bands on the left shoulder of its uniforms with the number "18" on it against Hofstra on Oct. 19.
Not Afraid To Play the Tough Ones -- Michigan had 10 of the 20 teams ranked in the final 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. Overall, U-M played 11 teams ranked by the NFHCA and was 8-3 in those contests.
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).
Wait Until Next Year -- Two of Michigan's six true freshmen -- Eleanor Martin and Kristen Tiner -- are redshirting the 2003 campaign and will not see any playing time until the 2004 season.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
