Champs!

The Rutgers field hockey team reached new heights during the 2021 season. It won the Big Ten Tournament championship, a first for any Scarlet Knights team competing in the conference, defeating Michigan, 1–0. The team (19-4, 6-2 Big Ten) earned 13 wins overall against ranked teams, six of them against top-10 teams. The Scarlet Knights’ record at home during the last two seasons was 16-2.

“To have this season and this group of players who are so talented and so gritty, so committed to the team, is a really special thing,” said head coach Meredith Civico.

Several players received All-Big Ten honors. Gianna Glatz was named Co-Player of the Year; Glatz and Katie Larmour were named to First Team; and Kerrie Burns and Milena Redlingshoefer (pictured) were named to Second Team. Gianna Mancini was the team’s honoree for the Sportsmanship Award. The recognition marked the second consecutive season that the team had four All-Big Ten selections and the fourth straight time with two First Team selections. The four student-athletes earned All-Big Ten awards last season.

The Scarlet Knights entered its fourth NCAA Tournament, ranked No. 1 for the tournament and ranked No. 1 nationally—both firsts in program history. Alas, in the Elite Eight round, they lost to Liberty, 3–2, on penalty strokes after the game remained undecided following two overtimes.