Iowa field hockey’s Dionne van Aalsum named Big Ten Freshman of the Year

The rookie leads the nation with 27 goals, 60 points, 1.59 goals per game, and 3.53 points per game.

November 1, 2023

Iowa midfield Dionne van Aalsum reacts during a field hockey match between No. 1 Iowa and Michigan State at Grand Field in Iowa City on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023. van Aalsum scored one goal in the first period. The Hawkeyes defeated the Spartans, 3-1.

Iowa field hockey’s Dionne van Aalsum was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year on Wednesday.

She is the sixth Hawkeye in program history to achieve the feat and the first since Katie Birch in 2016.

The rookie out of Castricum, Netherlands, has started all 17 games for the Hawkeyes this season and leads the nation with 27 goals, 60 points, 1.59 goals per game, and 3.53 points per game.

Throughout the regular season, van Aalsum earned four Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors and four Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.

The rookie and fifth-year Esme Gibson also received first-team All-Big Ten recognition. Gibson has earned All-Big Ten honors for three straight seasons. Iowa has had at least one first-team All-Big Ten selection in each of the past 13 seasons.

Fourth-year Harper Dunne was Iowa’s recipient for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

The 13-4 Hawkeyes received the No. 6 seed in the Big Ten Tournament hosted in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Iowa will play No. 3 seed Maryland in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 4 p.m.

The Hawkeyes lost, 4-1, to the Terrapins in the regular season. Iowa is 1-1 all-time against Maryland in the conference tournament.

The winner of Iowa and Maryland will face the winner of Michigan and Rutgers in the semifinals on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

About the Contributors

Kenna Roering, Sports Editor

she/her/hers

Kenna Roering is The Daily Iowan's sports editor. She is a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism with a minor in sports and recreation management. Kenna previously worked as a sports reporter for men's wrestling and volleyball and was the summer sports editor in 2023. This is her second year with the DI.

Grace Smith, Senior photojournalist and filmmaker

she/her/hers

Grace Smith is a fourth-year student at the University of Iowa double majoring in Journalism and Cinematic Arts. In her four years at The Daily Iowan, she has held the roles of photo editor, managing summer editor, and visual storyteller. Outside of The Daily Iowan, Grace has held an internship at The Denver Post and pursued freelance assignments for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Des Moines Register.