Michigan Field Hockey's 50th Season
The University of Michigan field hockey team will play its 50th season in 2022, one of the six original women's sports added to the athletic department after the passage of Title IX in 1973. In 2001, Michigan field hockey became the first women’s program to capture an NCAA championship in Michigan Athletics history and since 1997 have claimed 11 Big Ten titles and seven Big Ten Tournament titles and made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, including five trips to the Final Four and three to the NCAA championship game.
2001 - NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
After sweeping the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles in the previous season, Michigan won neither in 2001. But the Wolverines captured the most important trophy at season's end, defeating Maryland 2-0 in the NCAA Tournament finale to net the university its first-ever national championship in a women's sport. After getting knocked out of the Big Ten Tournament in the semifinal round, U-M entered the national event with the No. 7 ranking and did not lose again. Michigan used its homefield advantage in the regional, defeating North Carolina and intrastate rival Michigan State -- the latter in overtime -- to earn a trip to the Final Four in Kent, Ohio. In the NCAA semifinals, the Wolverines scored four times in the second half to overcome an early deficit to Princeton, and, two days later, held up against a Maryland barrage of shots and corners to upset the nation's top-rated team and the perennial power in the NCAA Championship rematch.
2001 • NCAA Champion
Record: 18-5
Big Ten: 4-2 (3rd)
Big Ten Tournament: T3rd
NCAA: Champion
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BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Co-Big Ten Regular-Season Champion
Michigan captured the first Big Ten title in program history in in head coach Marcia Pankratz's second year at the helm in 1997, posting a 16-6 record after going 7-11 the previous season. U-M closed out the regular season with five straight wins and avenged all three of its conference losses, defeating Penn State (2-1), Ohio State (3-2, 2OT) and Michigan State (4-0) in consecutive games over the final two weekends. The Wolverines shared the regular-season crown with Penn State, which defeated Michigan, 2-1, in the Big Ten championship game to earn the conference's only NCAA Tournament bid.
Big Ten Regular-Season Champion
Big Ten Tournament Champion
NCAA Quarterfinalist
The Wolverines maintained their momentum after the program's breakout season, winning 14 of their first 15 games in 2000, including a school-record 12 straight. Head coach Marcia Pankratz became the program's winningest coach as Michigan set new season records for goals (86) and assists (79). U-M steamrolled through the Big Ten schedule, boasting a perfect conference record -- with four shutouts -- for the first time in program history en route to the regular-season crown. Michigan hosted the Big Ten Tournament and downed top-15 opponents Ohio State and Penn State to complete the sweep and claim its second straight tournament trophy. The Wolverines went to overtime in both NCAA Regional matchups, knocking off William & Mary 3-2 in the game's 93rd minute before falling to host Wake Forest 3-2 on an overtime penalty stroke.
Co-Big Ten Regular-Season Champion
NCAA Semifinalist
The 2003 season proved a continuation of previous successes for the Wolverines. Michigan advanced to the NCAA Tournament Final Four for the third time in five years, captured its third Big Ten regular-season title in four years and topped the 17-win mark for the fifth straight season. The Maize and Blue shared the regular-season conference crown with Michigan State but took the tournament's top seed with a win in the head-to-head meeting. After a surprising early exit from the Big Ten tournament, Michigan rallied in NCAA postseason play, upsetting a pair of top-five competitors in North Carolina and Michigan State in the NCAA Regional -- both by narrow 2-1 margins -- to qualify for the Final Four in Amherst, Mass. U-M lost to top-seeded and eventual champion Wake Forest 1-0 in the semifinal round.
Big Ten Tournament Champion
NCAA Quarterfinalist
The Wolverines qualified for their seventh consecutive NCAA Tournament -- first under new head coach Nancy Cox -- in dramatic fashion, capturing the 2005 Big Ten Tournament title to secure the conference's automatic bid. After recording a 3-3 mark in regular-season Big Ten action to enter the tournament with the No. 4 seed, Michigan knocked off top-seeded Penn State in the semifinals before using three first-half tallies to cruise past second-seeded Indiana 3-0 in the championship finale and claim the fourth conference tournament trophy in seven seasons. The Wolverines headed to Columbus, Ohio, for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament and defeated Boston University 4-3 in overtime on the strength of three unanswered goals before falling to third-ranked Old Dominion 3-2 in the quarterfinals.
Co-Big Ten Regular-Season Champion
Big Ten Tournament Champion
NCAA First Round
The Wolverines returned to the top in 2010, posting a 15-7 record while claiming both the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles for the third time in program history and first since 2004. U-M went 5-1 in conference play, sharing the title with Ohio State after cruising to a 5-2 decision against Indiana in the regular-season finale. Michigan defeated the Buckeyes, 2-1, in the Big Ten Tournament final, avenging its regular-season loss, with a 2-1 win on a second-half goal. Michigan made it back to the NCAA Tournament but dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Old Dominion in the first round.
Big Ten Regular-Season Champion
Big Ten Tournament Champion
NCAA Semifinalist
The Wolverines posted one of its most successful seasons in program history in 2017, posting a 21-3 record -- a program-record for wins -- en route to the Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and a spot in the NCAA semifinals. Michigan started on a high, sweeping the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the first time in 16 appearances at the annual opening event, but within the next two weeks, suffered back-to-back losses at home to fall to 3-2 on the season. The Wolverines did not lose again for two months, reeling off a program-best 18 straight wins to claim both Big Ten titles for the fourth time and reach the NCAA Final Four for the first time in 14 years. U-M went 8-0 in Big Ten games to claim outright ownership of the regular-season crown and edged Penn State, 1-0, in the tournament championship game on a late goal. After shutouts in the opening two rounds of NCAA play, the Wolverines fell to Maryland in the semifinals.
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ALL-AMERICANS
Michigan has boasted 31 different All-Americans -- combining for 49 total honors -- over its program history, including 19 total first-team citations. U-M has had an All-American on its roster in 24 of the last 25 years and had multiple All-America selections on 14 occasions, including a program-high four honorees in 2000, 2002 and 2021. Rachael Mack is Michigan’s lone four-time All-American, while Kelli Gannon and April Fronzoni earned three selections.
• Michelle Smulders - 1996 (second team)
• Julie Flachs - 1997 (first team)
• Loveita Wilkinson - 1997 (third team), 1998 (first team)
• Kelli Gannon - 1998 (second team), 1999 (first team), 2000 (first team)
• Ashley Reichenbach - 1999 (second team)
• Catherine Foreman - 2000 (third team), 2001 (third team)
• April Fronzoni - 2000 (third team), 2002 (first team), 2003 (first team)
• Courtney Reid - 2000 (first team)
• Kristi Gannon - 2002 (first team), 2003 (first team)
• Stephanie Johnson - 2002 (third team), 2003 (second team)
• Molly Powers - 2002 (third team)
• Adrienne Hortillosa - 2004 (first team)
• Lori Hillman - 2004 (third team), 2005 (first team)
• Mary Fox - 2006 (second team)
• Lucia Belassi - 2007 (first team)
• Paige Laytos - 2007 (third team), 2010 (third team)
• Rachael Mack - 2010 (third team), 2011 (third team), 2012 (second team), 2013 (first team)
• Meredith Way - 2010 (third team)
• Bryn Bain - 2011 (second team)
• Ainsley McCallister - 2014 (second team)
• Lauren Thomas - 2015 (first team)
• Sam Swenson - 2015 (second team), 2017 (second team)
• Meg Dowthwaite - 2017 (second team)
• Katie Trombetta - 2016 (third team), 2017 (first team)
• Emma Way - 2018 (first team)
• Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort - 2018 (third team), 2019 (first team)
• Halle O'Neill - 2020 (first team), 2021 (second team)
• Anna Spieker - 2020 (second team)
• Kathryn Peterson - 2020 (third team), 2021 (third team)
• Sofia Southam - 2021 (first team)
• Anouk Veen - 2021 (third team)
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HEAD COACH MARCIA PANKRATZ
Michigan's rise to prominence among intercollegiate field hockey's elite programs can be traced directly to head coach Marcia Pankratz. Now in her 23rd overall season and 14th year of her current second stint at the helm, Pankratz has led U-M to the NCAA championship game on three occasions, and, in 2001, field hockey became the first women's program in Michigan Athletics history to claim the NCAA national championship when it defeated Maryland in the final. Her squads have also captured 10 Big Ten regular-season titles, six Big Ten Tournament titles and qualified for the NCAA Tournament 16 times.
The winningest coach in Wolverine program history with a career record of 333-142 (.701), including a 118-44 mark (.728) in Big Ten play, Pankratz has earned six Big Ten Coach of the Year honors and five NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year awards. The Wolverines have boasted an All-American on their roster in 20 of Pankratz's 22 seasons, including a program-high four in 2000, 2002 and 2021. During her tenure, Michigan has had 29 different players combine for 45 total All-America citations. U-M has also claimed 20 Big Ten Player of the Year awards -- offensive, defensive and athlete -- and Wolverine players swept the yearly honors in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
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HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEES
Michigan field hockey has had a pair of Wolverines inducted into the Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor in Mary Callam and Kelli Gannon.
INDUCTION: 2006
According to her field hockey head coach Phyllis Ocker, Mary Callam was called “the most talented player she ever coached." In ‘79, she set season records in goals scored (27) and total points (62) that were not broken until 1997.
INDUCTION: 2020
Over Kelli Gannon's tenure, U-M captured two Big Ten regular-season titles, a pair of Big Ten Tournament titles and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 1999 -- all firsts in program history.
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CAREER LEADERS
GOALS
Rachael Mack (73)
ASSISTS
Catherine Foreman (61)
POINTS
Rachael Mack (166)
SAVES
Jonnie Terry (462)
SAVE PERCENTAGE
Nancy Hirsch (.889)
GOALS-AGAINST AVG.
Nancy Hirsch (0.88)
WINS
Sam Swenson (61)
