Former Iowa forward Stephanie Norlander is no longer part of the Iowa field-hockey program.

By Mario Williams
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Big Ten 2015 Offensive Player of the Year and Iowa captain Stephanie Norlander is no longer an Iowa Hawkeye.

Norlander, a British Columbia native with one season of NCAA eligibility remaining, has chosen to join the Canadian women’s Senior National Team for a full-time slot beginning in 2016.

Norlander played with the squad in 2015 for Olympic qualification tournaments — World League 2 and 3, in addition to the Pan American Games, where she grabbed a bronze medal. Canada did not qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

“Taking off last semester to be a part of World League 2 and 3 and then Pan Ams, I just realized how much fun it was to be full-time with the program,” Norlander said in a release. “I’m still a really young player, and I still have a lot of potential, and I think that that also is a big factor in why I decided to join the program full-time, because I know that is the only way I can reach that full potential.”

The Hawks suffered an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament and finished with a record of 9-10. Norlander led the team in scoring and also notched a first-team All-Big Ten honor in addition to the Offensive Player of the Year award.

Norlander is the second former Hawkeye on the Canadian roster, joining defender Karli Johansen, who graduated following the 2013 season. Norlander and Johansen are both graduates of Handsworth Secondary in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.