Michigan
North Carolina
Gannon Fisher Era to Kick Off at Annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge
8/26/2025 3:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team (0-0) will open its 53rd season of intercollegiate competition -- and its first under head coach Kristi Gannon Fisher -- at the annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge this weekend at Grant Field in Iowa City, Iowa. The Wolverines will open the tournament against No. 2 North Carolina (0-0) at noon CT on Friday (Aug. 29) before wrapping up with a 11 a.m. CT slate against No. 20 Wake Forest (0-0) on Sunday (Aug. 31).
Now in its 23rd season, the ACC/Big Ten Challenge has proved to be the premier 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 54 conference titles and 27 national championships.
No. 15 Iowa (0-0) will face Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m. CT on Friday and North Carolina at 1 p.m. CT 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 23-28-1 in season openers. U-M will open against North Carolina for the 22nd time over the last 24 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 21 players from last season's squad, including six players who earned double-digit starts in 2024. The Wolverines bring back their leading scorer in graduate student Abby Tamer, a 2024 first team All-American who posted 12 goals and 14 assists, but graduated the next five season point leaders. U-M returns 43.9 percent (29 of 66) of its goal production from last year's squad.
• U-M also graduated defensive stalwart Pilar Oliveros, a three-year starter at center back, but returns the rest of its backfield, including goalkeepers Caylie McMahon and Hala Silverstein, who have started every game the last two seasons. Graduate student Claire Taylor and sophomore Anjolie Norton also started all -- or nearly all -- of last season at back and contributed to a defensive unit that allowed just 1.10 goals and 7.2 shots per game.
• The Wolverines welcome eight freshmen to the 2025 squad in forwards Sofia Ghanbari and Grace Hunter, midfielders Lexi Patterson and Manouk Saal and backs Brooke Alexander, Beatrice Ottsen, Adair Patterson and Maxine Rogge. The Michigan rookie class includes three players from the Max Field Hockey Class of 2025 top 100 list and ranked as the No. 10 overall recruiting class.
• Head coach Gannon Fisher moved to the helm of the UMFH program last spring after spending nine total seasons, including the last six straight, as an assistant under the legendary Marcia Pankratz. A key member of the Wolverines' 2001 NCAA championship team, Gannon Fisher was a two-time first-team All-American and the 2003 Big Ten Conference Athlete of the Year over her collegiate career (2000-03). She is slated to be inducted into the Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor, joining her older sister Kelli (1997-2000), later this fall.
• Tamer and Taylor will serve as the Wolverines' 2025 co-captains. The selection of captains is determined by a vote of the team. Tamer is a second-year team captain, while Taylor earns the distinction for the first time.
• Michigan currently has three UMFH legacy players on the 2025 roster. Tamer is the daughter of Keely Libby (1990-93), sophomore Dru Moffett is the daughter of Loveita Wilkinson (1995-98), and Alexander is the daughter of Courtney Reid (1997-2000). The Wolverines have had five legacy players in program history, adding to Mary Callam/Eileen Brandes and Patti Farley/Katie Trombetta.
• Michigan fared well in its preseason scrimmages, defeating Michigan State 5-1 and Ohio State 3-1 after edging Northwestern 3-2 on the final stat sheet -- though the Wildcats scored first in overtime before U-M netted two when the teams played out the full 10 minutes. Junior Juliette Manzur led the Wolverines with three goals in preseason play, while junior/sophomore Kelsey Reviello and Rogge posted two goals apiece.
• The Wolverines open their 2025 campaign with the No. 7 national ranking in the NFHCA preseason poll, released Tuesday (Aug. 26). Michigan lists third among the seven Big Ten schools represented and is slated to face eight preseason-ranked teams this season.
