Michigan Trio Sweeps Big Ten Player of the Year Awards

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team swept the Big Ten Conference's Player of the Year awards for the third consecutive year as seniors Adrienne Hortillosa (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) and Jessica Blake (Perth, Western Australia/St. Mary's Anglican) and junior Lori Hillman (Gibbsboro, N.J./Eastern Regional HS) were named Athlete of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, at the league's annual field hockey award banquet Thursday night (Nov. 4).

A dominant player throughout her four seasons at Michigan, Hortillosa caps her U-M career in similar fashion to how she started after winning 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year accolades. Hortillosa leads the Wolverines in assists for the second straight season and ranks second in points with a career-high 13-11-37. She has registered a career-high 13 goals this season and leads the team and the Big Ten with six game-winning goals. Hortillosa sits third on U-M's career assists list (38) and ranks fifth in career points (102).

Stepping up her play in her senior season, Blake has been the Wolverines' offensive firepower this season and leads the team in goals and points with a career-high 18-7-43, representing more than 28 percent of the Wolverines' goal total (64) and 25 percent of the U-M point total (170). Blake's 43 points eclipse her previous career high of 27, set during a 23-game span last season, and more than double her point total from her first three seasons combined (41). Blake is the not only the third consecutive U-M player to claim Offensive Player of the Year honors, but the fifth Wolverine to achieve the feat during the last eight seasons.

Hillman, who claimed Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2002, serves as the quarterback of a U-M defensive corps that has produced a league-high eight shutouts and allowed an average of only 4.89 shots on goal per game. Hillman has one goal and five assists as a vital member of Michigan's penalty corner unit and leads the team with one defensive save.

Blake, Hillman and Hortillosa combine with another successful trio of Wolverines -- April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon and Stephanie Johnson -- to form a three-year stronghold on the conference Player of the Year honors. Fronzoni was a two-time Offensive Player of the Year (2002, '03) while also claiming Athlete of the Year honors in 2002. Johnson was a back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honoree (2002, '03) and Gannon, a four-time All-Big Ten first team selection, earned Athlete of the Year accolades in 2003.

The three Wolverines were also selections to the 11-member All-Big Ten first team, marking the first appearance on the squad for each individual. Hortillosa has previously been selected to the All-Big Ten second team twice during her U-M career (2001, '03), while Blake earned second-team honors last season.

Sophomore Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and senior Katy Moyneur (Escondido, Calif./San Pasqual HS) were also honored by the conference as part of the 13-member All-Big Ten second team, while senior Kate Dillon (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills Central HS) was selected as U-M's recipient of the inaugural Big Ten Sportmanship Award. It is the first conference postseason award for both Fox and Dillon; Moyneur was also honored in 2002 as a member of the Big Ten all-tournament team.

The No. 8-ranked Wolverines (14-5, 5-1 Big Ten), the 2004 Big Ten regular-season tri-champions, will open the postseason portion of their schedule at the Big Ten Tournament, hosted by Northwestern at the Leonard B. Thomas Sports Complex in Evanston, Ill. The top-seeded Wolverines received a bye into the semifinal round where they will face No. 18 Penn State or Ohio State at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday (Nov. 6). The winners of the Michigan State-Indiana and Ohio State-Northwestern games will meet in the other semifinal at 2 p.m. Saturday, with the championship game slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 7).

2004 All-Big Ten Field Hockey Honors

FIRST TEAM
*Sarah Dawson, Sr., F, Iowa
Barb Weinberg, Sr., G, Iowa
Jessica Blake, Sr., F, U-M
Lori Hillman, Jr., D, U-M
*Adrienne Hortillosa, Sr., M, U-M
*Annabet Beerman, Sr., M, MSU
*Veerle Goudswaard, Sr., F, MSU
Curlyne Wynn, So., M, Ohio State
Sara Cahill, Jr., D, Penn State
Amanda Eckert, Sr., M, Penn State
Bekah Hoestetler, Sr., D, Penn State

* unanimous selection

SECOND TEAM
Lydia Scrott, So., F, Indiana
Debbie Birrell, Jr., M, Iowa
Heather Schnepf, So., D, Iowa
Lauren Stiver, Sr., D, Iowa
Mary Fox, So., F, U-M
Katy Moyneur, Sr., D, U-M
Michelle Huynh-Ba, Jr., D, MSU
Christina Kirkaldy, Jr., G, MSU
Candice Cooper, Sr., F, Northwestern
Megan Small, So., M, Northwestern
Saskia Mueller, So., M, Ohio State

Athlete of the Year: Adrienne Hortillosa, Michigan
Offensive Player of the Year: Jessica Blake, Michigan
Defensive Player of the Year: Lori Hillman, Michigan
Freshman of the Year: Kiersten Wood, Penn State
Coach of the Year: Tracey Griesbaum, Iowa