Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Recognized With Big Ten Preseason Honors
8/20/2018 5:48:00 PM | Field Hockey
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced Monday their selections for the 2018 field hockey preseason honors. Three players from Indiana—junior Kelsey Giese, junior Ciara Girouard, and senior Taylor Swope—received acknowledgement as some of the players to watch in the Big Ten this season.
For Giese and Swope, this is the first time either player has received such a distinction. Girouard earned the honor as a sophomore prior to the 2017 season, and is one of five players in the conference returning to the preseason team.
The Hoosier trio also landed among the 13 players to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors last season.
Girouard is the Hoosiers' leading returning scorer in 2018 and she's poised for a breakout junior season. Tallying 11 career goals with seven in her 2017 sophomore campaign, Girouard plays a role in the attacking midfield that could prove to be pivotal with setting up the forward line.
The West Deptford, New Jersey native looks to build from last season, where she picked up a Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award, recorded 15 points from goals and assists, and made three defensive saves on the corner unit. Since arriving in Bloomington in 2016, Girouard has started in every game for Indiana.
Giese will see a shift in her role but not her impact, sliding from the central midfield to the middle of the back line. The Trappe, Pennsylvania native anchored the middle of the park last season but came into her own as an attacker with four goals and two assists.
This year, Giese's hitting power will be on full display as she sets up counterattacks to feed the midfielders and forwards, occasionally taking the play downfield herself, while providing another cannon on the offensive corner unit. Giese, like Girouard, has been in the starting lineup for all 39 games of the last two seasons.
Swope is a perfect example of the Hoosier hustle, the high work ethic that leads to positive results for oneself and the team. After just five starts in her first two seasons, Swope started every game she played in as a junior last season and accounted for one goal with four assists. The helpers came as a result of joining the attacking corner unit as a stopper, and she intends to set up the straight shot this season as well.
A winner of Indiana's Hustle Award team honor for her efforts in 2017, Swope continues to make an impact everywhere she plays, from the wide midfield to both IU penalty corner units. The "little things" that don't show up on the stat sheet are the contents of Swope's field hockey tackle box and she plans on leaving all of them on the field during her final collegiate season.
The Hoosiers, like four other conference foes, begin their regular season this Friday, August 24. Indiana's Ohio River border clash with Louisville is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET in the IU Field Hockey Complex. That game will stream live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go.com
After that, the Hoosiers take a quick trip north to play at Ball State on Sunday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
For Giese and Swope, this is the first time either player has received such a distinction. Girouard earned the honor as a sophomore prior to the 2017 season, and is one of five players in the conference returning to the preseason team.
The Hoosier trio also landed among the 13 players to earn Academic All-Big Ten honors last season.
Girouard is the Hoosiers' leading returning scorer in 2018 and she's poised for a breakout junior season. Tallying 11 career goals with seven in her 2017 sophomore campaign, Girouard plays a role in the attacking midfield that could prove to be pivotal with setting up the forward line.
The West Deptford, New Jersey native looks to build from last season, where she picked up a Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award, recorded 15 points from goals and assists, and made three defensive saves on the corner unit. Since arriving in Bloomington in 2016, Girouard has started in every game for Indiana.
Giese will see a shift in her role but not her impact, sliding from the central midfield to the middle of the back line. The Trappe, Pennsylvania native anchored the middle of the park last season but came into her own as an attacker with four goals and two assists.
This year, Giese's hitting power will be on full display as she sets up counterattacks to feed the midfielders and forwards, occasionally taking the play downfield herself, while providing another cannon on the offensive corner unit. Giese, like Girouard, has been in the starting lineup for all 39 games of the last two seasons.
Swope is a perfect example of the Hoosier hustle, the high work ethic that leads to positive results for oneself and the team. After just five starts in her first two seasons, Swope started every game she played in as a junior last season and accounted for one goal with four assists. The helpers came as a result of joining the attacking corner unit as a stopper, and she intends to set up the straight shot this season as well.
A winner of Indiana's Hustle Award team honor for her efforts in 2017, Swope continues to make an impact everywhere she plays, from the wide midfield to both IU penalty corner units. The "little things" that don't show up on the stat sheet are the contents of Swope's field hockey tackle box and she plans on leaving all of them on the field during her final collegiate season.
The Hoosiers, like four other conference foes, begin their regular season this Friday, August 24. Indiana's Ohio River border clash with Louisville is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. ET in the IU Field Hockey Complex. That game will stream live via BTN Plus on BTN2Go.com
After that, the Hoosiers take a quick trip north to play at Ball State on Sunday, August 26 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Players Mentioned
Midfield
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