Indiana University Athletics
Barber Named to All-American First Team
12/7/2016 6:30:00 PM | Field Hockey
Scored 18 goals and tallied 40 points, both IU records, in her senior season
CHANDLER, Ariz. – Indiana field hockey senior Kate Barber received All-American first team honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), the organization announced Wednesday. Barber, after a superlative senior season, becomes Indiana's second-ever All-American first teamer (Kayla Bashore, 2005). Combining the NFHCA recognition with her first team All-American accolade from Synapse Sports, Barber is the first player in IU Field Hockey history to receive first team recognition from two publications.
Barber shattered two IU single season scoring records with 18 goals and 40 points, and consistently maintained top-five status on the national scoring leaderboards throughout 2016. She opened her account at Ohio, where she notched her first career hat trick to lift IU to a 3-2 win in overtime.
From there, Barber went on a scoring tear. She led the country in scoring average (1.5/game) and total goals (15) through the first five weeks of the season, and finished in the national top 20 in scoring average (0.9 goals/game, 2nd in the Big Ten) and points average (2.0 points/game, 4th in the Big Ten).
That run included a high volume of goals, but the figures don't tell the full tale of Barber's impact this season. Barber was lethal as a hitter on penalty corners, which gave the Hoosiers valiant comeback efforts in close losses. At Delaware, the eventual NCAA Champion, Barber slotted two scores to spark a 3-0 run that pushed the Blue Hens to a 5-4 result. At Penn State, Barber scored twice again, nearly tying the game in a 3-2 defeat. Barber also scored four game-winning goals on the year, most recently on a penalty stroke in a 1-0 upset at Michigan.
It's not like Barber flew under the radar coming into this season, either. Last season, as a junior, Barber scored 8 goals and racked up 23 points as a center back, leading Indiana to a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten and a return to the Big Ten Tournament. Furthermore, Barber started in 34 games between her freshman and sophomore seasons. In fact, Barber completed a career that included 71 career starts in all 71 appearances.
This honor is Barber's second appearance on an All-American team, becoming the fourth Hoosier to achieve such an honor (Kayla Bashore, 2004-2005; Lydia Schrott, 2004-2005; Audra Heilman, 2013-2014). Barber picked up third team honors from the NFHCA and Synapse Sports last season as a junior.
Barber adds this to back-to-back All-Big Ten first team honors, with a unanimous selection in 2015, and two All-West Region first team selections by the NFHCA. In the classroom, Barber is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and made the NFHCA's National Academic Squad last season. She served as one of Indiana's team captains for the last two seasons.
The standout senior wrapped up her career on championship weekend with her final appearance in the IU uniform as a selection to the NFHCA Senior All-Star Game. As expected, she scored a goal for her team.
Barber finishes an illustrious career with 28 career goals (4th-IU history), 70 points (4th-IU history), six game-winners (7th-IU history), and tied Heilman's shot count with 154 (5th-IU history). She will graduate in May with a major in community health and minors in psychology and global health, and plans to attend nursing school after graduation.
Barber shattered two IU single season scoring records with 18 goals and 40 points, and consistently maintained top-five status on the national scoring leaderboards throughout 2016. She opened her account at Ohio, where she notched her first career hat trick to lift IU to a 3-2 win in overtime.
From there, Barber went on a scoring tear. She led the country in scoring average (1.5/game) and total goals (15) through the first five weeks of the season, and finished in the national top 20 in scoring average (0.9 goals/game, 2nd in the Big Ten) and points average (2.0 points/game, 4th in the Big Ten).
That run included a high volume of goals, but the figures don't tell the full tale of Barber's impact this season. Barber was lethal as a hitter on penalty corners, which gave the Hoosiers valiant comeback efforts in close losses. At Delaware, the eventual NCAA Champion, Barber slotted two scores to spark a 3-0 run that pushed the Blue Hens to a 5-4 result. At Penn State, Barber scored twice again, nearly tying the game in a 3-2 defeat. Barber also scored four game-winning goals on the year, most recently on a penalty stroke in a 1-0 upset at Michigan.
It's not like Barber flew under the radar coming into this season, either. Last season, as a junior, Barber scored 8 goals and racked up 23 points as a center back, leading Indiana to a 5-3 mark in the Big Ten and a return to the Big Ten Tournament. Furthermore, Barber started in 34 games between her freshman and sophomore seasons. In fact, Barber completed a career that included 71 career starts in all 71 appearances.
This honor is Barber's second appearance on an All-American team, becoming the fourth Hoosier to achieve such an honor (Kayla Bashore, 2004-2005; Lydia Schrott, 2004-2005; Audra Heilman, 2013-2014). Barber picked up third team honors from the NFHCA and Synapse Sports last season as a junior.
Barber adds this to back-to-back All-Big Ten first team honors, with a unanimous selection in 2015, and two All-West Region first team selections by the NFHCA. In the classroom, Barber is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and made the NFHCA's National Academic Squad last season. She served as one of Indiana's team captains for the last two seasons.
The standout senior wrapped up her career on championship weekend with her final appearance in the IU uniform as a selection to the NFHCA Senior All-Star Game. As expected, she scored a goal for her team.
Barber finishes an illustrious career with 28 career goals (4th-IU history), 70 points (4th-IU history), six game-winners (7th-IU history), and tied Heilman's shot count with 154 (5th-IU history). She will graduate in May with a major in community health and minors in psychology and global health, and plans to attend nursing school after graduation.
Players Mentioned
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