Michigan
North Carolina
Wolverines to Host ACC/Big Ten Challenge to Open 2024 Campaign
8/27/2024 2:50:00 PM | Field Hockey
Promotions
Aug. 30
• Wolverine Kids Club Day
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 12-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (0-0) will open its 52nd season of intercollegiate competition at home this weekend when it hosts the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge at Phyllis Ocker Field. The Wolverines will open the tournament against No. 6 North Carolina (0-0) -- the defending NCAA champion -- at 6 p.m. on Friday (Aug. 30) before wrapping up with a 2 p.m. slate against No. 18 Wake Forest (0-0) on Sunday (Sept. 1).
Michigan hosts the ACC/Big Ten Challenge for the sixth time in the event's history and first time since 2019. Now in its 22nd season, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge has proven to be the premiere early-season field hockey tournament on the collegiate slate. All four participating schools -- U-M, Iowa, North Carolina and Wake Forest -- have combined to win 52 conference titles and 26 national championships.
No. 6 Iowa (0-0) will face Wake Forest at 3 p.m. on Friday and North Carolina at 11 a.m. on Sunday to round out this weekend's ACC/Big Ten Challenge slate. All four games will be streamed live on B1G+.
Notes
• Michigan owns an all-time record of 23-27-1 in season openers. U-M will open up against North Carolina for the 21st time over the last 23 years at the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge. The Wolverines have claimed three of those openers against UNC -- in 2016, 2017 and 2021.
• Michigan returns 17 players from last season's squad, including eight players who earned double-digit starts in 2023. The Wolverines bring back their top five leading scorers this fall, including graduate student Kate McLaughlin and sophomore Kelsey Reviello, who posted six goals apiece, and graduate student and 2023 All-American Lora Clarke, who led U-M with nine assists. U-M returns 81.6 percent (31 of 38) of its goal production from last year's squad.
• The Wolverines also return senior/junior Abby Tamer, who redshirted the 2023 collegiate season while training with U.S. Women's National Team and became Michigan's first ever field hockey Olympian. She started all five games at forward in Paris and led Team USA in scoring with two goals. Tamer has appeared in 39 games in two seasons at Michigan, starting 28 at forward and midfield. She owns 13 career goals and nine assists, ranking among the team leaders with nine goals in 2022, and was named to the NFHCA All-West Region second team.
• U-M graduated two defensive stalwarts in Rosie Hope and All-American Anouk Veen but returns the rest of its backfield, including senior/junior goalkeeper Caylie McMahon, who started all 17 games last season in the cage. Fifth-year senior Pilar Oliveros and senior/junior Claire Taylor also started all -- or nearly all -- of last season at back and contributed to a defensive unit that allowed just 1.13 goals and 8.9 shots per game.
• The Wolverines welcome nine freshmen to the 2024 squad in forwards Zoe Martin and Cami Wiseman, midfielders Aurora Gery, Natalie Machiran and Dru Moffett, backs Sofia Abraham, Eva Bernardy and Anjolie Norton and goalkeeper Maddie Grand. The Michigan rookie class includes six players from Max Field Hockey Class of 2023 rankings, including top-10 honoree Moffett.
• Moffett is the daughter of Michigan field hockey alum Loveita Wilkinson (1995-98), who twice garnered NFHCA All-America honors, including first-team selection as a senior. Moffett is the fourth legacy player in program history, joining Mary Callam/Eileen Brandes, Patti Farley/Katie Trombetta and Keely Libby/Abby Tamer.
• Michigan earned three wins in preseason scrimmage action, defeating Kent State 7-0 before earning decisions against Big Ten foes Michigan State (7-2) and Ohio State (3-2). The Wolverines scored twice in the final three minutes against OSU before tallying the winning goal just 3:05 into the extra frame. Richardson led the Wolverines with five goals in preseason play, while Tamer posted three goals in two games.
• Head coach Marcia Pankratz enters the season with a 356-157 career record over her 24 seasons at the helm of the Michigan program (1996-2004, '09-23). She ranks 12th all-time among NCAA Division I coaches with a .695 win percentage -- third among active coaches -- and lists 12th in total wins.
