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Big Ten Conference Presents Field Hockey Players to Watch List
ROSEMONT, lll. – The Big Ten Conference announced its 2025 Field Hockey Players to Watch List on Wednesday. Preseason honors were bestowed upon 15 student-athletes who earned All-Big Ten honors last season.
The 27-member Watch List features three Big Ten award winners from last season in Northwestern’s Maddie Zimmer (Player of the Year) and Ashley Sessa (Offensive Player of the Year) and Josie Hollamon of Maryland (Defensive Player of the Year).
Zimmer, Sessa and Hollamon were tabbed All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and are joined on the Watch List by returning NFHCA All-Americans in Abby Tamer (Michigan), Ilse Tromp (Northwestern), Makenna Webster (Ohio State) and Paulina Niklaus (Rutgers).
The 2025 field hockey season begins Friday with seven of the conference’s nine teams ranked in the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll. Defending NCAA champion Northwestern enters the season as the nation’s top-ranked team.
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
The 27-member Watch List features three Big Ten award winners from last season in Northwestern’s Maddie Zimmer (Player of the Year) and Ashley Sessa (Offensive Player of the Year) and Josie Hollamon of Maryland (Defensive Player of the Year).
Zimmer, Sessa and Hollamon were tabbed All-Americans by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and are joined on the Watch List by returning NFHCA All-Americans in Abby Tamer (Michigan), Ilse Tromp (Northwestern), Makenna Webster (Ohio State) and Paulina Niklaus (Rutgers).
The 2025 field hockey season begins Friday with seven of the conference’s nine teams ranked in the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll. Defending NCAA champion Northwestern enters the season as the nation’s top-ranked team.
BIG TEN PLAYERS TO WATCH LIST
| NAME | SCHOOL | YR | POSITION(S) | HOMETOWN |
| Inés Garcia Prado + | Indiana | Jr. | Midfielder | Madrid, Spain |
| Mijntje Hagen | Indiana | So. | Forward | Zeist, Netherlands |
| Emma Thompson | Indiana | Sr. | Back | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Mia Magnotta | Iowa | Sr. | Goalkeeper | Forty-Fort, Pa. |
| Milly Short ^ | Iowa | Sr. | Midfielder/Back | Worcester, England |
| Dionne van Aalsum ^ | Iowa | Jr. | Midfielder | Castricum, Netherlands |
| Ella Gaitan ^ | Maryland | So. | Forward | Belvidere, N.J. |
| Josie Hollamon + | Maryland | Jr. | Midfielder/Back | Delmar, Del. |
| Alyssa Klebasko ^ | Maryland | Jr. | Goalkeeper | Odenton, Md. |
| Abby Burnett | Michigan | Jr. | Midfielder | Zionsville, Pa. |
| Abby Tamer + | Michigan | Gr. | Forward/Midfielder | Whitmore Lake, Mich. |
| Claire Taylor | Michigan | Gr. | Back/Midfielder | West Simsbury, Conn. |
| Tatum Johnson | Michigan State | Gr. | Forward | Downington, Pa. |
| Lilian Knorr | Michigan State | So. | Midfielder | Berlin, Germany |
| Maddie Lawlor | Michigan State | Gr. | Midfielder | Shamong, N.J. |
| Ashley Sessa + | Northwestern | Jr. | Forward | Schwenksville, Pa. |
| Ilse Tromp + | Northwestern | Jr. | Back/Midfielder | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Maddie Zimmer + | Northwestern | Gr. | Midfielder | Hershey, Pa. |
| Katie Fichtner + | Ohio State | Sr. | Back | Harwood, Md. |
| Anne Marie Krebs ^ | Ohio State | Jr. | Midfielder | Louisville, Ky. |
| Makenna Webster + | Ohio State | Gr. | Forward | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Ella Jennes | Penn State | Sr. | Forward/Midfielder | Aerdenhout, Netherlands |
| Anouk Knuvers | Penn State | Gr. | Back | 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands |
| Sophia Mannino | Penn State | Sr. | Midfielder | Doylestown, Pa. |
| Anna Cogdell | Rutgers | So. | Midfielder | Badingham, England |
| Paulina Niklaus + | Rutgers | Sr. | Midfielder | Mannheim, Germany |
| Puck Winter ^ | Rutgers | Sr. | Back | Deventer, Netherlands |
+2024 All-Big Ten First Team
^2024 All-Big Ten Second Team