Freshman field-hockey player Makenna Grewe has become one of Iowa’s best.

By Mario Williams
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When Iowa freshman field-hockey player Makenna Grewe gets geared up to hit the ball to her teammates during a penalty corner, she clicks her heels.

This comfort move didn’t come from playing field hockey, it originated from Grewe playing softball in her younger days.

“Every time before I would go up to bat, I would always click my heels,” Grewe said. “It’s just a habit now. It just makes my feet in the spot I want them to be.”

Aside from softball, Grewe also played four years of soccer, lacrosse, and field hockey at Del Norte High in San Diego.

While she excelled in all four sports, field hockey seemed to be the place where she shone the brightest. However, she didn’t begin playing field hockey until her freshman year of high school. A friend in the grade above her suggested she  try field hockey, and the rest, as history says, was history.

“She took me out to the park one day, showed me how it goes, and I thought it was really fun,” Grewe said. “Everything just went from there.”

Even though she played a number of sports during her high-school career, field hockey quickly became something she fell in love with.

“I thought it was really similar to soccer, but it was something new,” Grewe said. “I really liked having something with my hands rather than my feet.”

At Del Norte, the San Diego native holds the record for single-season assists (23), career assists (35), and career goals (44). In her senior year, she was captain and scored an impressive 26 goals and 23 assists.

Once the college letters came, Grewe and her family knew it was the sport for her. Many universities in her home state showed interest as well as an Ivy League and some Big Ten schools.

Iowa was the first trip she made, and she was sold. Grewe’s mother, Eve, said the freshman wanted a real college-town feel, a new experience, and surprisingly, she wanted to attend a school with cold weather. Iowa City was the perfect place.

Prior to committing, her family knew very little about Iowa, but they did know about its history of field hockey and great academics.

“It was really impressive how Iowa presented everything,” Eve Grewe said. “The coaches, the school, and the facility. It was kind of the whole package. Nothing else compared, and we knew it was just the right fit.”

Iowa must have been the right fit for Makenna Grewe; she’s making big plays at the right time. She ranks third in the Big Ten in goals with 7 and also has 7 assists — tops in the conference.

The midfielder said that over the summer, she trained a lot to gear up for the season based on what her coaches suggested, and it has paid off. She focused most of her attention on getting fit and her stick skills.

“Coming in, you want to be in shape,” Grewe said. “I worked out with a lot of my friends who were also training for college, and it really pushed me.”

The Iowa field hockey team is now 4-3 going into the Big Ten slate this weekend. Grewe has contributed a lot to the team’s success as a freshman, and her head coach is anxious to see her next big move.

“She’s been unbelievable and that’s why she’s pouring in goals for us,” coach Lisa Cellucci said. “I expected this from her, just not this quickly.”

Follow @Marioxwilliams for news, updates, and analysis of the Iowa field-hockey team.