The MSU field hockey team didn’t leave Evanston, Ill., with a championship at last weekend’s Big Ten Tournament, but the team wasn’t overlooked completely.
Two Spartans received end-of-the-year honors.
Head coach Michele Madison was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year and senior forward Bridget Cooper was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Madison received Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 15-5 record, good enough to share the Big Ten regular season championship with Ohio State.
No other MSU field hockey coach has ever won the title.
“(Madison) truly deserves it, she’s led our team to where we are today,” senior goalkeeper Mara Mabley said.
“I mean, we’ve made history this year.”
When Madison began coaching at MSU in 1993, the team was at the bottom of the Big Ten, losing all 10 games in conference play that season.
But Madison has helped the Spartans become a viable contender in the competitive conference, Mabley said.
“She really knows how to motivate us and get us ready for a game,” Mabley said.
“(Giving us) what we need to do as a team and the things that we need to do to be together and do it as one unit.”
Cooper received the recognition after her team-leading 15-goal season, which tied her with Ohio State forward Vanessa Immordino for most goals in the season.
Cooper earned the Big Ten Freshman of the Year honor in 1998 and has scored 42 goals in her career, but even Cooper will acknowledge this season stands out in her collegiate career.
“This was probably my best season yet,” she said. “It’s the best way to go out as a senior.”
Much of Cooper’s success depends on the ability of the team to drive the ball forward, Madison said.
“We have one of the best midfields,” she said.
“They just tell (the forwards) ‘Get in position and we’ll get you the ball’ and that’s what they’ve been doing all year.”
But Mabley said while the team plays a role, Cooper creates her own opportunities.
“We have a set way we do our offense,” Mabley said.
“She’s always there ready to get the ball and when we can get it to her, she’s able to do her job and get it in the net.”
The team plays Kent State at 2 p.m. Saturday in Ann Arbor in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
