Spartans celebrate 1st Big Ten tournament title since '03

It took two seasons and two heartbreaking losses in the conference semifinals to clinch the Big Ten tournament championship.

But for the No. 8 MSU field hockey team, Sunday afternoon’s sun-soaked milestone was well worth the effort.

Two weeks after a Big Ten regular season celebration, the Spartans again stood on Ralph Young Field after having defeated the best the Big Ten could offer, adding two tournament wins to a spotless 6-0 mark in the Big Ten regular season.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling,” senior midfielder Floor Rijpma said.

“It was a great moment winning the Big Ten conference, but we made it our goal that we were not going to stop right there, and that’s what we did.”

The Spartans were bested in the conference semifinals by Iowa each of the two previous seasons, but defeated the Hawkeyes in Friday’s semifinal and edged an aggressive Indiana team in Sunday’s championship game to win the conference tournament for the first time since 2003 and secure an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon was on hand to deliver the Big Ten Tournament championship trophy to MSU players and head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof was doused with water for the second time this season.

“It’s a great feeling and you really complement the girls for hanging in there against an aggressive, solid Indiana,” van de Kerkhof said.

For the team’s seniors, Sunday’s championship marked the first time in their careers they’ve been able to call themselves Big Ten Tournament champions.

The Spartans lost overtime matches to eventual champions Iowa each of the previous two seasons, but this year, the Spartans were able to dethrone the three-time defending champion Hawkeyes.

The team’s senior leaders Rijpma, Jeamie Deacon and Elissa Unger all were named to the All-Big Ten Tournament team, while Unger claimed tournament MVP honors.

“It’s kind of surreal right now — I’m still trying to catch my breath,” Unger said.

“It was definitely a hard-fought game, so it’s not like we just fell into it or anything, which makes it feel even better.”