Trombetta, Swenson Headline Michigan's Big Ten Accolades
11/1/2017 3:30:00 PM | Field Hockey
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Seniors Katie Trombetta and Sam Swenson of the University of Michigan field hockey team claimed two of Big Ten Conference's top honors on Wednesday (Nov. 1), garnering the league's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards, respectively. Head coach Marcia Pankratz, in her 18th year at the helm of the Wolverine program, was also honored as the 2017 Big Ten Coach of the Year.
Michigan has claimed 22 Big Ten yearly awards since 1997 and has garnered multiple awards on six occasions. Trombetta is the fifth different Wolverine to earn the Big Ten Player of the Year award, joining April Fronzoni (2002), Kristi Gannon (2003), Adrienne Hortillosa (2004) and Rachael Mack (2005). The top honor, formerly the MVP/Athlete of the Year, was temporarily discontinued from 2007-12.
Trombetta, an NFHCA All-America third team selection in 2016, also earned All-Big Ten first-team honors for the second straight season after posting four goals and 11 assists and anchoring a Wolverines defense that leads the league with a 0.76 goals-against average and has allowed just 7.1 shot attempts per game. A key member of Michigan's attack and defensive corner units, she netted the late game-winning goal against Northwestern to give U-M the outright Big Ten title and scored the game-winner in its Big Ten Tournament opener against Ohio State.
Swenson becomes the fifth different Wolverine to garner Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year accolades, joining Ashley Reichenbach (1999), Stephanie Johnson (2002, '03), Lori Hillman (2004) and Lauren Thomas (2015), and is the first Michigan goalkeeper to earn the distinction.
Swenson, an NFHCA All-America second team selection in 2015, garners All-Big Ten honors for the third straight year and makes her second appearance on the league's first team. Swenson ranks third nationally with a 0.80 goals-against average and fourth with a .800 save percentage. She has contributed to 12 shutouts wins this season, including nine complete-game efforts and six in Big Ten play.
Pankratz earned Big Ten Coach of the Year for the sixth time after guiding the Wolverines to an outright Big Ten regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament with an 8-0 league record. She also earned the honor in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2010 and 2011.
Trombetta and Swenson were two of just three unanimous selections to the All-Big Ten first team and were joined on the first team by sophomore Meg Dowthwaite, while graduate student Esther de Leijer earned second-team distinction.
Dowthwaite ranks second among Big Ten leaders with a 17 goals, including seven game-winners, and 41 points through 19 games this season. Notably in conference play, she tallied the first and game-winning goals against Penn State, Rutgers and Indiana and added a key insurance goal at Iowa. Dowthwaite also lists 14th with 0.89 goals per game; she has scored in all but five games this season. It is the first all-conference recognition of her career.
De Leijer, who earned All-Big Ten Tournament and All-NFHCA West Region honors last season, owns three goals and four assists. She scored the game-winning goal in U-M's win at Iowa that clinched its Big Ten title and added markers against North Carolina and Penn State. She is a key member of the Wolverines' attack and defensive corner units; the latter has allowed opponents a small 12.3 percent conversion.
Graduate student Casie Ammerman was selected as Michigan's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for the second straight year. The 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.
The Wolverines return to action this Friday (Nov. 3), squaring off against Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals at 11 a.m. at Ralph Young Field in East Lansing, Michigan.
