Field hockey has been a varsity sport at the University of Iowa since 1973, before that field hockey was a club sport. Iowa was a leader in early implementation of the Title IX legislation, which was passed in 1972. Christine Grant, PhD, was coach in 1973 and 1974 before she retired from coaching to become Iowa women's athletics director and a national voice for women in sport. She was also president of the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) - which was the governing organization for women's intercollegiate athletics before the NCAA took over. From 1981 to 1989 and again since 1992, the Hawkeyes have been members of the Big Ten Conference, while they participated in the Midwestern Collegiate Field Hockey Conference (MCFHC) during the 1990 and 1991 seasons. Iowa is one of the most accomplished field hockey programs in the Big Ten, with 16 claimed conference championships (13 in the Big Ten), six conference tournament titles, and 11 NCAA Final Four appearances to its credit.[1] In 1986, the Hawkeyes became the first field hockey team from the Midwest to win the national championship, when they beat New Hampshire 2–1 in double overtime in the NCAA title game.[1][2][3] Additionally, Iowa has cumulatively amassed a total of 85 national All-Americans, 152 regional All-Americans, and 162 All-Conference selections. In program history, the Hawkeyes have had a total of only five head coaches: Margie Greenberg (1977), Judith Davidson (1978–87), Beth Beglin (1988–99), Tracey Griesbaum (2000–13), and Lisa Cellucci (2014–present). In addition to Cellucci, who is herself a former Iowa player, Hawkeye alumni have attained the position of head coach at numerous other NCAA programs, including Ball State (Annette Payne), Dartmouth (Amy Fowler), Indiana (Amy Robertson), Kent State (Kerry [Horgan] Devries), Michigan (Marcia Pankratz), Princeton (Kristen Holmes-Winn), Rutgers (Liz Tchou), Stanford (Lesley Irvine), and Virginia (Michele Madison and Missi Sanders).[1]
Season-by-season results
The 2010 Iowa field hockey team in action at Penn StateThe 2011 Iowa field hockey team in action against Penn State
In 1973, five Hawkeyes were selected to play on the all-Iowa college team: Sue Lewis, Caroline Emrich, Sue Bouch, Liz Ullman, and Robyn Linn. The 1974 season, coached by Christine Grant, had a 1–6–4 record. Two Hawkeyes were selected to play on the State Field Hockey team: Liz Ullman and Sue Bouck. The 1975 team, coached by Margie Greenberg, had a 3–6–2 record. The 1976 team's record was 9–5–2. Three Hawkeyes advanced to the State Team that year: Carla Seltzer, Barb Resnick and Karen Zamora. Karen Zamora was then selected as a qualifier for the National Field Hockey Tournament.
Season-by-season results through the end of the 2014 season[1][4][5][6][7]
Awards and accolades
National championships
Iowa has been well represented at the NCAA Championships, appearing 22 times with 11 Final Four appearances. In 1986, the Hawkeyes beat conference rivals Northwestern en route to the Final Four. There, they shut out Penn State 2–0 and topped New Hampshire 2–1 for their first national championship, becoming the first women's team at the university to win an NCAA Championship.[1]
Awards and accolades through the end of the 2014 season[1][4][8]
Stadium
Dr. Christine H.B. Grant Field during a game in 2011
Iowa has played its home games at Dr. Christine H.B. Grant Field since its construction in 1989. Originally named Hawkeye Field Hockey Field, in 1991 the stadium was renamed in honor of Christine Grant, the founder of the Iowa field hockey program and former Women's Athletics director of the university. Grant Field was rededicated in 2006 after the completion of significant renovations that included a new playing surface, a permanent grandstand, new concession facilities, restrooms, and a press box.[9] Described by former Michigan field hockey player and current Big Ten Network analyst Kara Lentz as "the best facility in the Big Ten", Grant Field has witnessed a 40-game Iowa home winning streak in addition to undefeated Hawkeyes home campaigns on six separate occasions. The stadium's official capacity is 1,000, while its all-time single-game attendance record stands at 1,339, which was set during a game against Penn State on October 24, 1993.[1][9]
Title IX Activism
In the wake of the firing of former University of Iowa Field Hockey Coach Tracey Griesbaum on August 4, 2014, current players Chandler Ackers and Natalie Cafone joined former players Jessy Silfer and Dani Hemeon in filing a Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education.[10] Coach Griesbaum was terminated after former players levied a series of allegations against her coaching methods and the culture within the field hockey program.[11] Despite an internal investigation by the university determining that she had not violated any university policy, Griesbaum was fired just days before the start of the 2014 season.[11]
At the heart of the complaint filed with the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the agency responsible for overseeing Title IX compliance within the Department of Education, are allegations that the University of Iowa's Athletic Department engages in discriminatory practices and decision-making, often resulting in the removal of highly qualified female coaches from female programs. The student-athletes further allege that the removal of top female coaches deny to female athletes educational benefits protected under Title IX.[12]
As provided by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, "[n]o person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."[13] As a state institution of higher education, the University of Iowa is subject to the provisions of Title IX.
While Title IX compliance issues are commonplace in collegiate athletics, and generally center on such things as equal opportunity to participate, and access to equal facilities, the complaint submitted by the University of Iowa Field Hockey players is unique in its interpretation of gender discrimination.[12] The players contend that Coach Griesbaum was terminated for engaging in the same coaching methods and practices utilized by male coaches.[11] The student-athletes go on to claim that by holding female coaches and student-athletes to different standards than their male counterparts – standards largely shaped by sex stereotypes – the school undermines the success of women's programs, and denies female student-athletes the opportunity to learn from top coaches, and compete at the highest level.[11]
Many of the practices and standards challenged in the complaint are rooted in a paternalistic view of women's athletics. The Title IX complaint cites numerous examples of double standards that exist within the University of Iowa's Athletic Department. For instance, the student-athletes note that the university places a higher level of expectation on female coaches of women's programs to manage players' minor injuries and emotional sensitivities. The complaint alleges a pattern of negative consequences for women coaches for failure to adequately respond to complaints from parents and players.[14]
Conversely, the university is more likely to give male coaches the benefit of the doubt when faced with accusations of wrongdoing. For example, thirteen football players were hospitalized with rhabodomyolysis, a stress-induced degenerative muscle syndrome, after an arduous off-season workout in 2011.[15] Despite the very serious physical injuries facing these football players, the University of Iowa stood by the coach involved in the incident, and he was later named "Assistant Coach of the Year."[16]
Some feminist commentators suggest that the current model of sport is designed for men's interests, and that women's athletic pursuits are less competitive, and more recreational.[17] Advocates of this position would acknowledge real differences between men and women, and construct an athletic system that creates substantive equality between the sexes.[18] Under this view of gender equity, one might be able to argue that different coaching methods are necessary to provide both male and female athletes with similarly positive collegiate athletic experiences.
However, this Title IX complaint filed with the OCR is based on a formal equality approach to gender equity.[19] The University of Iowa Field Hockey student-athletes' allegations are remarkable because it challenges assumptions that would hold female and male student-athletes and coaches to varying levels of competitiveness and standards of behavior. As Ackers and Cafone have made clear, one major draw for many athletes to the University of Iowa Field Hockey program was the opportunity to play under Coach Griesbaum, and be pushed every day to reach their personal and athletic potential.[20] The student-athletes agree, "we want to be made better every single day" and "we don't want to be coddled like little girls."[11] The complaint's premise confronts stereotypes that greatly shape expectations for male and female student-athletes and coaches in college sports.
For their efforts on behalf of gender equality, Ackers, Cafone, Silfer, and Hemeon received the Jean Y. Jew Women's Rights Award.[21] The complaint has sparked a national conversation on double standards that exist for female coaches and student-athletes in collegiate athletics. Although not directly tied to the complaint filed by Ackers, Cafone, Silfer, and Hemeon, the OCR began an audit of the University of Iowa Athletic Department in response allegations of unfair treatment of female student-athletes on April 11, 2016.[22]
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and one in Canada. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Big Ten Conference is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of 10 prominent universities, which accounts for its name. As of 2014, it consists of 14 member institutions and 2 affiliate institutions, with 4 new member institutions scheduled to join in 2024. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport.
NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their student-athletes.
Valerie B. Ackerman is an American sports executive, former lawyer, and former basketball player. She is the current commissioner of the Big East Conference. She is best known for being the first president of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), serving from 1996 to 2005. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisional Collegiate Water Polo Association. Team colors are maize and blue, though these are different shades of "maize" and "blue" from those used by the university at large. The winged helmet is a recognized icon of Michigan Athletics.
College athletics in the United States or college sports in the United States refers primarily to sports and athletic training and competition organized and funded by institutions of tertiary education in a two-tiered system.
Marcia Anne Pankratz is an American former field hockey forward and current head coach for the Michigan Wolverines. Pankratz participated in two Summer Olympics. In 1988 she finished in eighth position with Team USA, in 1996 she claimed the fifth spot. Pankratz had 110 international appearances over the course of her career.
The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams in 12 sports.
The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have varsity teams in 20 sports, 7 for men and 13 for women; The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are members of the Big Ten Conference. Currently, the school's athletic director is Beth Goetz.
The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The intercollegiate athletics logo was commissioned in 1983.
The UConn Huskies are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Connecticut, located in Storrs. The school is a member of the NCAA's Division I and the Big East Conference. The university's football team plays at Rentschler Field, and the men's and women's basketball teams play on-campus at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion and off-campus at the XL Center.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus. In sports, Rutgers is famously known for being the "Birthplace of College Football", hosting the first ever intercollegiate football game on November 6, 1869, in which Rutgers defeated a team from the College of New Jersey with a score of 6 runs to 4.
The Old Dominion Monarchs are composed of 18 intercollegiate athletic teams representing Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, sailing, soccer, swimming, and tennis. Women's sports include basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, golf, sailing, soccer, swimming, tennis, rowing, and volleyball. The Monarchs compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and are members of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC); the university joined the conference on July 1, 2022.
The Miami Hurricanes, known informally as The U,UM, or The 'Canes, are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the highest level of collegiate athletics. The University of Miami's football team has won five national championships and its baseball team has won four national championships. Across all sports, the Hurricanes have won 21 national championships and 83 individual national championships.
The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team is part of the University of Iowa athletics department.
Gary Barta was the athletic director at the University of Iowa. Barta retired from the university on July 31, 2023.
Christine Grant was an American athlete, coach, administrator, and advocate for women's college athletics. Dr. Grant served as the athletic director at the University of Iowa from 1973 until 2000. She was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006. Grant was also inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
The Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference as well as the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team plays its regular season games at 15,400-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena, along with men's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.
The Penn State Nittany Lions women's soccer team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team at Pennsylvania State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Nittany Lions play at Jeffrey Field in State College, Pennsylvania on the campus of Pennsylvania State University.
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