Nov. 3, 2008
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 8 Penn State field hockey team was awarded a bye for the first round of the Big Ten Championships in Bloomington, Ind. and will play the winner of Thursday's game between Michigan and Ohio State. The Nittany Lions (13-5 overall, 5-1 Big Ten) will play on Friday at 10 a.m. The game will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network, as will the other semi-final game and championship match. They can also be viewed live on GameTracker at GoPSUSports.com.
Penn State field hockey team won its fifth Big Ten regular season title on Sunday, Oct. 26 when the Nittany Lions defeated Michigan, 3-0. It is the first Big Ten championship for head coach Charlene Morett's squad since 2005. The conference title guarantees the Nittany Lions a spot in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals with a first-round bye. The 2008 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament will take place in Bloomington, Ind., on the Indiana University campus.
Iowa is the No. 2 in the tournament bracket after finishing the conference season with a 4-2 mark. With a win over Penn State on Oct. 31, Michigan State moved to 4-2 in the conference and into a tie with Iowa. The Spartans fell to the Hawkeyes on Oct. 25, 4-3, making them the No. 3 seed in the tournament.
Michigan is the No. 4 seed after defeating Ohio State on Oct. 5, dropping the Buckeyes to the No. 5 spot as both teams enter the weekend with 3-3 records. The two teams will meet again on Thursday in the opening round of the tournament with the game beginning at Noon EST on Thursday, Nov. 6.
Rounding out the field is No. 6 Northwestern and No. 7 Indiana. The Hoosiers will face off against Iowa in Game 1 of the tournament on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 10 a.m. EST. The Wildcats will battle Michigan State in the last game of the day at 2 p.m. EST.
Top-seeded Penn State will await the winner of No. 4 Michigan and No. 5 Ohio State. The Nittany Lions will play their semifinal game on Friday, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time. The second semifinal game will begin at 12:35 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday with the tournament finale taking place on Sunday, Nov. 9 at 1 p.m.