ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten conference offices announced on Tuesday afternoon that Penn State Field Hockey, under the direction of first year head coach Hannah Prince, has earned seven Big Ten postseason honors after the 2026 regular season. Sienna Dunn and Ella Gaitan both earned All-Big Ten First Team selections while Olivia Marthins and Lara Pyle were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Lilly Holmes and Kira Takahashi-Trader notched Big Ten All-Freshman Team nods and Emmy McCulley won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for Penn State.
This is the first time since 2023 that the Nittany Lions have two All-Big Ten First Team selections and the first time since 2020 that the Blue & White have secured two All-Big Ten Second Team selections.
“These honors reflect the work, commitment, and pride that these young women bring every single day, both individually and as a team,” said Prince. “We are incredibly proud of the way they compete, push each other, represent Penn State, and continue to raise the standard for our program. These honors are well deserved and a credit to everything Team 63 is building together!”
A newcomer from the Isle of Man, Dunn has become one of the most prolific midfielders in the Big Ten. Her 14 assists are the second-most in the Big Ten and tied for the sixth-best total in the country. Dunn’s 0.82 assists per game are also the second-most in the conference with the seventh-highest in Division I. Her prowess in penalty corner attacks has made the Penn State set piece offense one of the best in the country and plays ferociously on the press.
Gaitan has blossomed into one of Penn State’s biggest offensive threats under Prince. The Maryland transfer secured her first double-digit goal season of her career after her brace against the Wolverines. Her 11 goals, 24 points and five game-winning goals all lead Penn State with her total goals and points ranking within the top-10 of all Big Ten players and top-50 nationally. She is the first Penn State player since Gladieux to hit 20 points in a season.
Marthins has become one of Penn State’s standouts on offense. It only took 10 games for the sophomore to surpass her freshman year goal and point total and Marthins recorded her first multi-goal game of her career against then-No. 19 Lafayette and another one versus Ohio State. Her eight goals and 17 points rank second on the Penn State squad and are double her freshman year totals.
Pyle established herself as a threat in the midfield for the Nittany Lions. The Australian registered her first two goals of her career in Big Ten conference games in high leverage situations. Her goal against Indiana was the lone one of the contest while her goal and shootout goal against Ohio State were monumental in keeping the Penn State winning streak alive. Her four assists have quadrupled her previous year total and eight points easily surpass her freshman year total.
Both of Penn State’s All-Freshman Team selections have been instrumental to the Nittany Lion defense. Holmes has started every game of her Penn State career while Takahashi-Trader has played in every contest with both coming in as backs. Both have been a part of the Penn State penalty corner defense and Holmes has carved out a role in the Blue & White penalty corner attack as a passer and stopper. Against Northwestern, Holmes, in the last two minutes of competition, fired the Penn State insurance goal in the back of the cage for her first goal of her career.
Penn State is headed to Columbus, Ohio for the Big Ten Tournament starting on November 4 at 5 p.m. where the Nittany Lions to rematch the Iowa Hawkeyes on Buckeye Varsity Field. The game will be streamed on B1G+ and more information on the tournament can be found here.
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