Penn State field hockey is ‘hungry’ entering Big Ten tourney after win over No. 1 Northwestern: ‘They want more’

When Hannah Prince arrived to coach Penn State field hockey, she and her staff set out on a mission: to find out what’s important to the team culturally.

They wanted to set standards both on and off the field, Prince said, so the players took initiative and developed an acronym: Grit, accountability, mindset, every single day. When spelled out, it reads “G.A.M.E.”

“We spent a lot of time digging into what those values [are] and what’s important to them, how they treat each other, how they want to be on the field, and just sort of allow us to have some things to always measure back to,” Prince told The Inquirer. “The group really drove this process, and we helped facilitate it, but they did an amazing job digging deep to come up with the values.”

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The Nittany Lions have embodied those values in Prince’s first season, during which they’ve risen to No. 12 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll after a 12-5 regular season that concluded with a statement 2-0 upset win over No. 1-ranked Northwestern on Oct. 30.

They now enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 3 seed with a clash against Iowa on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio (5 p.m., B1G+). Penn State lost to the Hawkeyes, 1-0, in its penultimate regular-season matchup.

“I think it’s a good opportunity to have a bit of a rematch because I don’t think it’s deniable that we did not play our best game last time we faced Iowa,” Prince said.

Penn State enters Wednesday’s matchup with some serious momentum following the win over the Wildcats, which gave Prince her first win as a head coach over a No. 1 team.

Before that contest, Prince told her squad to pick one of the four core values and commit to it for that day. Leading scorer and All-Big Ten first-team selection Ella Gaitan said several players picked grit, and she felt the Nittany Lions “exuded that through the game.”

“We had the mentality going into the game like there is absolutely nothing to lose,” said Gaitan, who has 11 goals and 25 points this season. “Northwestern is obviously a very respectable team. They’re incredible, and they’ve historically been just at the top of the Big Ten every year. We knew that we would have to really fight for this game, and Hannah just told us to have belief in ourselves.”

Gaitan said they enjoyed the victory, but Prince “did a really good job” refocusing the team.

Penn State returned to practice Sunday, two days after defeating the Wildcats, and began preparing for its rematch against Iowa (12-4).

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“[Prince] was like, ‘All right, like this is it. This is go time. It’s do-or-die now. It’s win and advance,’” Gaitan said. “She always does a really good job of keeping us focused and locked in on what’s ahead. I feel like now we’re settled in and ready for what’s next.”

Prince has plenty of experience coaching in the postseason after four years as St. Joseph’s head coach, where she led the Hawks to an NCAA Tournament appearance each season there, including making the national championship game appearance in 2024.

“I think my experience in postseason, whether it’s conference play or NCAA Tournament, can just help give my players that sort of relief,” Prince said. “We’ve prepared them, and we’ll continue to do everything in our power to keep preparing them for each task at hand, each game.”

Penn State is looking to cement itself as a consistent contender again, not only just in the Big Ten, but also nationally.

The Nittany Lions have historically been one of the top programs in the country, making 19 straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1982 to 2000. They haven’t made the big dance since 2022, however, which was legendary coach Charlene Morett-Curtiss’ final year at the helm.

“It’s incredibly important to our program to — I’m not as fussed about ranking — but it is [important] to be making strides in postseason,” Prince said. “We have the talent, we have the grit, we have the work ethic, we have players that love each other and play hard for each other. We will be battling every step of the way.”

Although Penn State has experienced NCAA Tournament success in past years, it has yet to win a national title, appearing in the championship game twice. Gaitan said the team’s aspirations to do so isn’t “taboo” in the locker room.

With this run they’ve been on — including beating four ranked teams since the start of October — the Nittany Lions feel like anything is possible as long as they’re focused on the game in front of them. That starts with Iowa.

“The girls are hungry,” Prince said. “It’s not like that was like, ‘Oh, we did that pat on the back,’ and we’re satisfied. They want more. They know there’s more ahead of us. They know they have to work even harder than they have for the last two months.”