When senior forward Abby Barker arrived on campus in the fall of 2011, she already had plenty of accolades from her high school playing days. Between a state championship, a two-time All-Ohio honoree, and a spot in the Junior Olympics and Junior Women’s National Championship, there wasn’t much Barker missed out on.
Those days were merely a faint indication of what lie ahead for Barker and MSU field hockey. Barker made an immediate impact as a true freshman, playing in all 20 games and starting 15. As a first-year player, Barker led the team in scoring with nine goals and one assist and also had a team-high three game-winning goals.
With a full year under her belt, Barker only improved on her impressive freshman year. One of five Spartans to start in all 20 games, then-sophomore Barker scored 18 of the 33 goals scored by MSU while adding three assists. Barker was awarded for her stellar sophomore campaign by being named to the NFCHA second-team All-American.
Barker’s junior season nearly mirrored her sophomore performance, as she tallied 18 goals once again and two assists. A third of those goals ended up being game-winners for the Spartans, most notably a double-overtime goal against UM.
If for some reason Barker’s career at MSU had ended after her third year, she still would have had a place in the program’s record books. Through her junior season, Barker sat ninth in career points and sixth in career goals.
Also on that resume would have been two First-Team All-Big Ten selections, two Big Ten All-Tournament selections, two Big Ten Distinguished Scholar selections, a Big Ten Tournament MVP, and the list goes on.
To make matters worse for everyone ahead of Barker in the record books, the senior had her best statistical year in 2014. After scoring the tying goal against No. 4 Duke with only seconds remaining in the first game of the season, Barker never slowed down.
When asked in early October of how meaningful all of the accomplishments are, Barker was quick to deflect the praise.
“It’s exciting, but it’s not really a big focus for me,” Barker said. “For me, it’s all about what I can do to be successful in my role on this team…that’s great and all, but I have bigger priorities than to be on the top of that list.”
Through MSU’s first seven games, Barker was playing at a torrid pace scoring eight goals and six assists, which matched her assist total from her first three years combined. Barker ended the year with 14 goals and 12 assists, which placed her fourth all-time at MSU in goals with 59 and points with 136.
With names in the MSU record books dating all the way back to 1975, Barker's place in the program's history will likely survive for years. Future players, coaches and alumni will have the opportunity to look back and understand the type of impact Barker had on MSU since she arrived in the fall of 2011.
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