O'Neill Headlines Michigan's Quartet of All-Big Ten Conference Honorees
4/19/2021 3:35:00 PM | Field Hockey
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The University of Michigan field hockey team placed four players on the All-Big Ten Conference teams, the league announced Monday (April 19) on the eve of the 2020-21 Big Ten Tournament. Senior Halle O'Neill was named to the All-Big Ten first team, while sophomore Sarah Pyrtek and juniors Kathryn Peterson and Anna Spieker received second-team recognition. U-M tied with Rutgers for the most all-conference honorees.
O'Neill, a native of Hummelstown, Pa., garnered All-Big Ten first team accolades for the second straight year. U-M's field general, who moved to center midfield this season after three years at center back, plays key roles in both the offensive and defensive corner units. She owns one goal and four assists on the season and has contributed to seven shutouts wins, including six over the last seven games.
Pyrtek, a native of Bonn, Germany, leads the Wolverines with a career-best five goals and one assist and boasts three game-winning tallies on the season. She scored critical goals in U-M's conference wins against Iowa, Northwestern and Maryland. She is a first-time All-Big Ten selection.
Peterson, a native of San Diego, Calif., was selected to the All-Big Ten second team for the second year in a row. She owns two goals and three assists this season and was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after scoring both clinching markers in U-M's sweep against Rutgers, including the winning shootout attempt in the conference slate.
Spieker, a native of Brandenburg, Germany, is also a repeat All-Big Ten performer, adding to her second-team selection in 2019. She leads the nation with a .900 save percentage and ranks second nationally with a Big Ten-best 0.42 goals-against average. She owns seven complete-game shutouts on the season, with six in the last seven games.
Graduate student Clare Brush was selected as Michigan's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, given annually to student-athletes who distinguish themselves through good sportsmanship and ethical behavior, as well as demonstrate academic excellence and good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
Michigan, the 2020-21 Big Ten champion, will kick off the postseason at the Big Ten Tournament this week at Grant Field in Iowa City, Iowa. The top-seeded Wolverines will open play against either Michigan State or Indiana in the quarterfinals at 11 a.m. CDT on Wednesday (April 21).
