Nov. 8, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. - Kelsey Amy and Brittany Grzywacz were named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team after helping lead the Penn State field hockey team to a victory over Indiana and a berth in the semifinals last week at Northwestern's Lakeside Field.
The two standouts helped the Nittany Lions open the playoffs with a commanding 4-0 victory over Indiana on Thursday before falling just short in a 4-3 overtime setback to Michigan in the semifinals on Friday.
During the playoffs, Amy was a force on the offensive side of the ball. She posted a pair of goals after finding the back of the cage in each game. On Thursday, she added a first-half insurance goal against the Hoosiers on a beautiful play that eventually catapulted the team to the lopsided victory.
The following afternoon, Amy returned to the field and struck again. With the game tied at two late in the second half, she broke the deadlock with a 10-yard blast that momentarily gave the team a lead with less than seven minutes left in regulation.
Her postseason performance simply added another chapter to a storybook season for the sophomore forward. During the year, she leads the team and ranks third in the Big Ten with 19 goals. Her one-goal-per-game average is also the ninth best rate in the nation.
While Amy was anchoring the offense, Grzywacz was a force on the defensive end. A second-team All-Big Ten selection, she pieced together an outstanding performance on Thursday that helped Penn State post its sixth shutout of the season.
The following day, Grzywacz recorded her team-leading third defensive save of the year with an outstanding play in the first half. During an offensive surge by Michigan that saw the Wolverines post five consecutive shots, she backed up Ayla Halus with an excellent stick-save which kept Penn State's deficit at 1-0.
During the year, Grzywacz has started all 19 games. Along with her three defensive saves, she has tallied 10 points after posting four goals and two assists.
Along with the two Nittany Lions, nine other players were named to the All-Tournament team. Michigan's Rachael Mack headlined the group and was selected as the Tournament MVP, while fellow Wolverine Paige Laytos also made the team. Ohio State's Aisling Coyle and Paula Pastor-Pitarque were honored after helping the Buckeyes make the championship game, while Michigan State's Amanda Huck and Angela Pagura earned the award following their semifinal run. Indiana's Morgan Fleetwood, Iowa's Jessica Barnett, and Northwestern's Nikki Parsley rounded out the group.