IU Coach Amanda Janney signed six incoming players to the IU field hockey team on the first day of the early signing period.
Seeking to replace the production of departing seniors Kate Barber, Mollie Getzfread, Malia Fujisawa and Morgan Dye, Janney signed three offensive players and three defensive players.
“We are signing a strong incoming class that will bring a variety of positive attributes to our team,” Janney said in an IU Athletics release. “We have recruited fast attackers who know how to score, aggressive midfielders who know how to win and some smart defenders who will add to the depth of our team.”
The forwards in this year’s recruiting class are Claire Dickinson from Louisville, Kentucky, Bente Buwalda from the Netherlands and Savannah Bucher from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.
The defensive reinforcements are Hanna Zarrilli from Wall, New Jersey, Olivia Rice from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and Sofia Keen from Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This past season, IU was able to net 41 goals, but conceded 44. Those are statistics Janney hopes to improve with the arrival of the six new recruits.
On offense the Hoosiers lost their top goal scorer from this year in Barber and their assists leader in Getzfread. Barber finished with 18 goals while Getzfread tallied nine assists.
Buwalda, the Dutch newcomer, will be the freshman to watch next season for the Hoosiers. The 17-year-old played on one of the top-level teams in Europe and became a national champion with her school team in 2013 as one of the team’s top scorers.
Buwalda is joined by Bucher and Dickinson, who will bring versatility to IU’s offensive display.
Dickinson has scored 36 goals in her high school career and was named Miss Field Hockey, the award given to the most outstanding player in the state of Kentucky, this year.
Bucher has netted 26 in her last two seasons and is currently participating in Pennsylvania’s state playoffs. She is a two-time PHAC All-Star and has won four PHAC conference titles and four District 4 championships.
On defense the Hoosiers will count on Keen, who has played a major role on three Ann Arbor Pioneer high school state championship teams. She has won two Defensive MVP’s and has eight goals and eight assists in her career.
Joining Keen are Rice and Zarrilli. Rice was selected for the Mid Penn Commonwealth Conference All-Star team and has played in three MPCC championship teams.
Zarrilli scored over 50 goals in high school, tallied 34 assists and amassed 134 points. She has won three district championships and has been a state runner-up in 2013 and 2015.
A couple of Hoosiers will be reunited with players from their hometown. Bucher hails from Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania where sophomore defender Nora Aucker is from and Zarrilli was high school teammates with freshman forward Sam Scire.
Keen comes from the same high school as former IU defensive standout Sydney Supica, who is the program record holder in defensive saves.
Janney is going into her third season at the helm for the Hoosiers and will hope to improve the teams 8-12 overall record from this past season and lead the program to its first Big Ten Tournament win.
