Northwestern, Maryland, Rutgers Awarded Field Hockey Honors

ROSEMONT, lll. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its Field Hockey Offensive Player, Defensive Player and Freshman of the Week awards for games played September 17-20.

Offensive Player of the Week
Ashley Sessa, Northwestern
Sr. – F – Schwenksville, Pa. – North Carolina

• Compiled a Big Ten-best eight points in leading No. 1-ranked Northwestern to three wins on the west coast, improving the Wildcats’ record to 9-0
• Scored twice in a 7-0 win over UC Davis and totaled three assists against ACC foes Stanford and California
• Moved into third place on Northwestern’s career scoring list (147 points)
• The U.S. Olympian earns her seventh-career Big Ten Offensive Player Award
• Last Wildcat chosen Offensive Player of the Week: Ashley Sessa (October 27, 2025)

Defensive Player of the Week
Alyssa Klebasko, Maryland (pronounced: KLUH-bass-ko)
Sr. – G – Odenton, Md. – Garrison Forest

• Led No. 5 Maryland to a 1-0 shutout of No. 4 Wake Forest, finishing with six saves and thwarting three penalty corner attempts
• Earned two wins on the week, stopping 7-of-8 shots on target for an .875 save percentage
• Finished with a scoreless streak of 84 minutes, 14 seconds
• Notched her second shutout in 2026, extending Maryland’s win streak to eight games
• The Second Team All-Big Ten performer earns her third career defensive player honor

Freshman of the Week
Lauren Iaccio, Rutgers
Fr. – B – Mullica Hill, N.J. – Camden Catholic

• Tallied the game-winning goal off a penalty corner in Rutgers’ 3-1 victory at Colgate
• Helped Rutgers – which was missing its top defender – finish with a plus-seven goal differential with road wins at Albany and Colgate
• Launched five total shots, placing four on target
• A starter in all eight games this season, collects her first Big Ten weekly accolade
• Is the first Scarlet Knight to collect Freshman of the Week honors since November 3, 2025

2026 Big Ten Field Hockey Weekly Awards
August 31
O: Fréderique van Cleef, 5th, F, IOWA
O: Olivia Fraticelli, Sr., F, RU
D: Eva Bernardy, Jr., B, MICH
F: Reine van Hoof, Fr., F, IOWA

September 8
O: Fréderique van Cleef, 5th, F, IOWA
O: Sienna Golden, Jr., F, OSU
D: Aby Deverka, Jr., G, PSU
F: Avery Alleva, Fr., G, OSU

September 14
O: Dionne van Aalsum, Sr., M, IOWA
D: Juliana Boon, Jr., G, NU
F: Kendall Gilmore, Fr., M, MD

September 21
O: Ashley Sessa, Sr., F, NU
D: Alyssa Klebasko, Sr., G, MD
F: Lauren Iaccio, Fr., B, RU