FOR THE 13TH TIME The Indiana field hockey program opens up its 13th season this weekend with back-to-back contests on the road as they are set to make the 362-mile trip to Kent, Ohio. The Hoosiers start 2012 with Mid-American Conference opponent, Kent State, on Friday, August 24 at 12:30 p.m. ET before taking on Vermont, Sunday, August 26 at 2:30 p.m. ET.
IU faces the Kent State for just the third time in the program's 13-year history, with Indiana owning a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series. The Hoosiers' meeting with Vermont will be the first between the two squads and is only one of two first-time opponents (Lock Haven) slated on the 2012 schedule.
HOOSIER NOTABLES •Sophomore Audra Heilman has been named to the U.S. Field Hockey U21 squad that will compete at the Junior World Cup next year, announced by USA Field Hockey on July 17. •Hannah Boyer, Morgan Fleetwood and Audra Heilman are among Big Ten Players to Watch for the 2012 season, announced by the league on Aug. 22. Boyer was an integral part of the Hoosiers' backfield last season. The redshirt-junior defender started in all 17 games last season and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team and NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad. Fleetwood, a Second Team All-Big Ten selection in 2011, played in all 17 contests, where she amassed a team-high 68 shots, 42 of which on goal, and tallied 27 points for IU. Heilman started in every contest last year and was a Big Ten All-Tournament Team selection. The sophomore scored six goals on 17 shots to pace the Hoosiers with her .353 shooting percentage in 2011. The Easton, Pa. native was also recently selected as a member of the U.S. Field Hockey U21 squad. •Thanks to an impressive 2011 campaign, Fleetwood is looking to move up the ranks in several program records this season. She currently ranks eighth all-time for career assists (12) and second in points (77) behind only Lydia Scott's (`06) 104 accumulated in her career. Fleetwood has already moved to the top of the all-time career shots record (212) and also owns the program's most points in a single season (36, 2009) as well as shots in a season (89, 2009). •The Hoosiers welcome five new faces to the 2012 squad. •IU's international touch to the 2012 roster features freshman Karen Gomez from Terrassa, Spain, sophomore Amanda Bennison from Poynton, England and sixth year senior Viki Green from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
IU SPLITS PRESEASON SCRIMMAGES The Hoosiers split a pair of preseason scrimmages, falling 3-0 at Louisville before returning home to capture a 4-2 win over visiting Miami (Ohio).
