Dec. 21, 2007
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State field hockey team once again did very well in the stands during the recently concluded 2007 season as the Nittany Lions finished fourth nationally in average attendance. Penn State moved up one spot from fifth place last year and drew more total fans and more average fans than last year. This is the second year that the NCAA has tracked field hockey attendance figures.
Helped on by a record crowd of 770 for its home opener against Connecticut back on September 2 as well as two other large crowds for Think Pink Day vs. Michigan State and the Code Blue game against Ohio State, Penn State averaged 405 fans per game over nine home contests in 2007, up from 364 in 2006. A total of 3,650 fans came to AstroTurf Field this year to see the national runners-up play, an increase of nearly 400 from the 3,276 in 2006 over the same number of games. Maryland led the nation in overall and average attendance by averaging 692 fans over 12 games while North Carolina was second at an average of 537. After taking the attendance title in the Big Ten last year while finishing fifth in the country, Penn State slipped to second in the Big Ten despite moving up a spot nationally as Michigan finished third in the country with an average of 487 fans over nine home dates. Penn State just edged out Wake Forest (402) for fourth place. The Nittany Lions were one of just five teams in the country that averaged over 400 per game in attendance.
In a state known for having some of the best field hockey talent in the nation, the Nittany Lions far outdistanced the rest of the Big Ten after Michigan in average attendance. Ohio State finished 12th with 260, Michigan State was 26th with 206 and Northwestern was 32nd with 184.
Penn State went 6-3 at AstroTurf Field this year and now has a three-year record of 22-6 on its current home field.