Spartans celebrate first outright Big Ten title

Last season, the MSU field hockey team had a strong run and finished near the top of the Big Ten, but fell one step short of accomplishing all its goals. The Spartans finished second in the conference and lost one round short of reaching the Final Four.

This season, the No. 8 Spartans are out to push a step further and accomplished their first major goal Sunday in capturing the Big Ten regular season title with a 2-1 victory against instate rival Michigan.

The title marks the first time since 2004 the team has won at least a share of the regular season title, and is the program’s first outright conference championship.

As expected, the players and coaches were ecstatic.

“It’s awesome — we’ve been working since January for this and it’s a great bunch of girls,” senior midfielder Jeamie Deacon said. “They’re all good mates, so it’s just amazing and it’s a great feeling.”

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon congratulated the players after the game and MSU Athletics Director Mark Hollis presented the team with the Big Ten championship trophy.

Players embraced, took pictures, mingled with fans and family members and even gave head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof an ice shower from a Gatorade bucket.

“It’s huge,” van de Kerkhof said. “Especially for the (seniors) … they believed in what we were trying to do, and now they can say that we’re Big Ten champions.”

The Spartans have come close to a Big Ten title in previous seasons, but came up shy in 2007 and 2008. This year’s team is 5-0 in the Big Ten with one game remaining and has been up to the challenge each time.

Although the Spartans received significant contributions from their younger players this season, Sunday’s championship was especially significant for the team’s seniors, who have accomplished much in their careers at MSU, but hadn’t ever gotten to hoist a Big Ten regular season trophy.

“They’ve been the building blocks for our program,” junior forward Jantine Steinmetz said. “They’ve been here for four years and you want to give them something back, and the best present right now to give them is a Big Ten championship.”

The Spartans should receive an extra confidence boost from the Big Ten championship, but still have work left to do if they want to make this a dream finish to the season.

“I have tears in my eyes, if you ask me,” said senior midfielder Floor Rijpma, who scored Sunday’s game-winning goal with less than 12 minutes left.

“The season is not stopping here and we’re going to go even harder, and they better be ready for us.”