THIS WEEK

The seventh-ranked University of Iowa field hockey team travels to Albany, New York to continue play on the road. The Hawkeyes will face Fairfield on Friday at 1 p.m. (CT) for a neutral sight matchup at Alumni Turf before playing UAblany  on Sept. 3 at 11 a.m. (CT).

FOLLOW LIVE

• Sunday’s game against UAlbany will be televised on American East TV.

• Iowa field hockey fans can follow all contests via live stats on hawkeyesports.com.  Game updates are also available on Twitter/@iowafieldhockey.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Freshman Dionne van Aalsum was named Freshman Player of the Week, while sophomore Mia Magnotta is the Defensive Player of the Week. It is the first time either have received this honor.

• Freshman Dionne van Aalsum led the Hawkeyes to two victories in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge after recording back-to-back multi-goal games in the first two games of her collegiate career.

• Iowa has now defeated the top-ranked team in three straight seasons (3-1 vs. No. 1 North Carolina in 2021, 2-0 vs. No. 1 Northwestern in 2022 and 3-2 vs. No. 1 North Carolina in 2023)

• The Hawkeyes return seven starters and 14 letterwinners from a team that finished 12-8, advancing to the Elite Eight for the 21st time in program history in 2022.

• The Hawkeyes made their fifth straight and 27th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history — the most of any team as a member of the Big Ten Conference.

• Fifth-year senior Esme Gibson (second team) earned All-Big Ten recognition for the 2022 season.

• Head coach Lisa Cellucci is in her tenth season at the helm of the Hawkeye field hockey program and her 24rd season overall.  Cellucci has been a part of 282 Iowa victories and in 2020, she led the program to the Final Four for the 12th time — the first since 2008.  Iowa has posted double digit win totals in eight of her ten seasons. The Hawkeyes have won three Big Ten titles (2019, 2019 (BTT), 2021) under her watch.

• Cellucci earned her third straight Big Ten Coach of the Year honor in 2021.  She is the first coach in Big Ten history to be named Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons.

Iowa State coach Matt Campbell has still not named a starting quarterback for Saturday’s opener against Northern Iowa. Redshirt freshman Rocco Becht and true freshman J.J. Kohl were both listed at the top of the depth chart. Junior college transfer Tanner Hughes is also in the mix.

Campbell says they will develop a plan for the quarterbacks as the week goes on.

Campbell says the offense won’t change depending on the quarterback.

Campbell says they key for Brecht and Kohl will be bouncing back from negative plays.

Campbell has five running backs listed as a possible starter and he says they need to earn the right to be on the field.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz calls quarterback Cade McNamara questionable for Saturday’s opener against Utah State. McNamara suffered what Ferentz called a muscle strain in a public scrimmage this month. The transfer from Michigan returned to practice last week.

Ferentz says they will need to determine how effective they think he can be.

Ferentz says they want to make sure it does not become a long-term problem.

Ferentz on the issues they will consider.

Joe Labas led Iowa to a Music City Bowl win over Kentucky, but he has been hobbled since July so if McNamara can’t go Wisconsin transfer Deacon Hill is the likely starter.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Former University of Iowa infielder Mason McCoy has been called up from Triple-A Buffalo to the Toronto Blue Jays. The official transaction took place Tuesday.

“We couldn’t be happier for Mason,” said head coach Rick Heller. “He is a great player and a great Hawkeye. Mason is a perfect example of what you can achieve if you truly believe in yourself and just keep putting in the work. He has earned this opportunity.”

The Washington, Illinois, native is hitting .226 over 402 at bats in Triple A as a member of the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays systems this season. He has notched 64 RBIs, 66 runs, 12 home runs and 23 stolen bases.

McCoy played for the Hawkeyes from 2015-17. He hit at a .311 clip tallying 68 RBIs, 92 runs, 14 stolen bases and seven home runs. He was an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Mideast first-team all-region honoree and a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2017.

McCoy was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Baltimore Orioles with the 188th pick.

McCoy is the second player in Heller’s Iowa tenure to get the call to the Majors, joining Nick Allgeyer. He is the seventh player to reach MLB who played under Heller, joining Sean Manaea, Dakota Bacus, Colin Rea, Jake Petricka and Ryan Strausborger — all of whom played for Heller at Indiana State.

The Blue Jays face the Washington Nationals today at 6:07 p.m. (CT) in Toronto.

THIS WEEK

The University of Iowa women’s soccer team travels to Starkville, Mississippi, on Thursday to take on Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. (CT) at the Mississippi State Soccer Field. The Hawkeyes return home on Sunday to host Senior Day vs. Southeast Missouri State at the Iowa Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

WATCH/FOLLOW LIVE

• Thursday’s match will stream on the SEC Network+, while Sunday’s game will stream on B1G+. Subscriptions are required for both platforms.
• Links to streaming and live stats can be found at hawkeyesports.com/soccergameday.
• Fans can follow the Iowa soccer program on Twitter (@HawkeyeSoccer) for live in-game updates.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS

• Mississippi State started the season 3-0-1 with victories over Grand Canyon (2-1), Northwestern State (3-0) and FIU (2-0). The Bulldogs tied Arizona State in a scoreless match on Aug. 20.
• Last season, Mississippi State finished with a 12-6-2 record and earned the first SEC Tournament and NCAA Tournament victories in program history.
• The Bulldogs return leading scorers Haley McWirther and Maggie Wadsworth, who scored 20 points apiece last season. Starting goalkeeper Maddy Anderson also returns.

SERIES HISTORY – MISSISSIPPI STATE

Iowa and Mississippi State tied, 1-1, in the only meeting between the two schools on Sept. 5, 2021.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS

• SEMO fell to Missouri, 4-0, in the season opener on Aug. 17 before picking up a pair of wins vs. Grambling State (4-1) on Aug. 20 and at Southern Illinois (2-0) on Aug. 27. The Redhawks tied, 0-0, vs. Evansville on Aug. 24.
• Cayla Corner leads the way offensively with six points on two goals and two assists. Emily Baker has also scored a pair of goals for the Redhawks.
• Last season, SEMO finished 8-6-3 with a 4-2-2 Ohio Valley Conference record.

SERIES HISTORY – SEMO

Iowa leads the all-time series, 2-1-0. The Redhawks won the first meeting between the two programs, 2-1, on Sept. 18. 2005. The Hawkeyes have won two straight in the series, most recently downing SEMO, 2-0, on Sept. 12, 2021.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Head coach Dave DiIanni is in his 10th season at the helm of the Iowa women’s soccer program. Last fall, the Hawkeyes finished 5-6-7 overall with a 2-3-5 Big Ten record, a few points shy of conference postseason qualification. Iowa returns eight players with at least three years of collegiate playing experience, including seventh-year player Josie Durr and fifth-year Samantha Cary, who was a captain last fall. Cary helps lockdown a Hawkeye defense that averaged just one goal allowed per game over the past two seasons while posting 13 clean sheets during that span.
• Many of those veterans played for Iowa during its Cinderella-run in the 2020-21 postseason, which saw a two-win regular season result in the first Big Ten Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament win in school history. One such player is redshirt junior Meike Ingles, who scored all four of her goals that year in the postseason, including three game-winners during the Big Ten Tournament. Ingles netted a hat-trick in fall 2021 vs. Illinois (10/17) and scored Iowa’s first goal of the 2023 season at FGCU.
• Another offensive headliner is junior Elle Otto, whose three goals, five assists and 11 points last season are returning team-bests. Otto leads Iowa with two goals and five points this season.
• Senior Macy Enneking returns in goal. Enneking ranks fifth in program history for career wins (16) and sixth in career shutouts (11).
• Iowa welcomes 16 newcomers, including 13 freshmen and three transfers.
• Cary, Enneking and Ingles were named to the Big Ten Preseason Honors List.
• Cary, Enneking, and senior Maggie Johnston were voted team captains for the 2023 season.

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa rowing program welcomes graduate assistant coach Molly Rygh and Assistant Coach/Director of Operations Paige Schlapkohl, head coach Jeff Garbutt announced on Tuesday. Rygh and Schlapkohl are both former members of the program.

“I am so excited to have Molly join the staff as she continues her graduate program,” Garbutt said. “She was an amazing member of the team during her four years here. Being one of our original Homegrown Hawkeyes, she brings a unique perspective to our staff that will be valuable in our athletes’ development. Her experience as a Hawkeye and leadership abilities will be huge assets to our staff.”

Throughout Rygh’s rowing career at Iowa, she earned honors as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, two-time Academic All-Big Ten, CRCA Scholar Athlete, and was a three-time letterwinner. Rygh raced on II Varsity 8+ boats and helped Iowa win B1G/Big 12 Double Dual in 2023. She is the daughter of Chris and Mary Beth Rygh. She studied elementary education throughout her time as a Hawkeye.

Garbutt also added, “Having Paige return home to Iowa City is amazing. In my time at Iowa, I can’t think of a better example of what our program embodies. She was one of our walk-ons during her freshman year, was a member of our Varsity Eight boat in her last season, competed at Henley, and eventually studied and rowed at Oxford Brookes University in England. Her Hawkeye story is one that is a tremendous example of what it means to be a Hawkeye rower and we are fortunate to have her back!”

As a sophomore, Schlapkohl helped the 2N8+ crew to a first-place finish at the Big Ten/ACC Double Dual. She appeared in eleven competitions on the II Varsity Eight crew, one including helping Iowa to second place at the Big Ten Championships her final year at Iowa.

A Davenport, Iowa native, Schlapkohl is the daughter of Loren and Nancy Schlapkohl. She also studied elementary education at UI and finished her degree at Oxford Brookes University in England.