Gianna Glatz named Big Ten Co-Player of the Year

No. 3 Rutgers field hockey had five players honored by the Big Ten on Wednesday as season awards were announced. Goalkeeper Gianna Glatz was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Year and was joined on the First Team All-Big Ten with fellow super senior Katie Larmour. Fellow classmate Kerrie Burns and senior Milena Redlingshoefer were named to the Second Team All-Big Ten. Gianna Mancini was the team’s honoree of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.

Rutgers has now had four All-Big Ten selections for a second season in a row and its the fourth consecutive season with two First Team selections. All four student-athletes named to All-Big Ten teams this season were named last season as well.

“We are incredibly proud to have these experienced student-athletes recognized by the Big Ten Conference for their play this season,” head coach Meredith Civico said. “The team feeds off this group of players, and they have been a big part of our success this season.”

Glatz earned her fourth straight First Team All-Big Ten selection and became the program’s first recipient of a major conference award since joining the league in 2014. She is the first Scarlet Knight to win a major all-conference award since Alyssa Bull was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 2012. She is having an even better season statistically than last spring when she earned First Team All-American honors. Glatz currently holds career bests in goals-against-average (0.93), which is sixth best nationally, and save percentage (.803). which is ninth best nationally this season. She is tied for fifth nationally with a .812 win-loss percentage. Glatz has six shutouts this season and is currently fifth all-time in program history with 347 saves for her career.

“Gianna Glatz is so focused and determined,” Civico said. “She’s put so much time and energy into perfecting her craft as a goalkeeper. She’s a tremendous leader and we are so lucky to have her as a Scarlet Knight.”

Larmour earned First Team honors for the third consecutive season and is integral to the success of the team anchoring the midfield. The team captain has one a goal and three assists this season. She has also eclipsed over 1,000 minutes played in the midfield this year.

“Katie Larmour is so smart. She has a great presence on the field and is a leader in everything she does,” Civico explained. “She understands the game so well, has exceptional technical skill, and is so effective in how she commands the field.”

Burns has been critical to the team’s success playing in the defensive midfield. She set a career high with 11 points this season, including tying her career-high of four goals and added three assists. This is Burns’ second All-Big Ten honor of her career in which she has played 86 games and totaled 36 points.

“Kerrie Burns is an unsung hero for us,” Civico said. “She’s a defender to her core, she’s so gritty, so tough, and will do whatever it takes to make sure no one threatens our goal. She is a huge part of why we are where we are as a program.”

Redlingshoefer leads Rutgers with six goals, nine assists and 21 points this season. She is a perfect 5 of 5 on penalty strokes and also has five game winning goals this fall. Redlingshoefer is eighth all-time in program history with 20 assists in her career.

“Milena Redlingshoefer is an incredible team player,” Civico said. “She’s very versatile in her position and is so technically gifted. Whether defending or attacking, she contributes all over the field. Her goals and assists are vital to our play.”

Mancini is a super senior that has scored four goals and added an assist in 14 starts this season. The Sportsmanship Award winner is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.

“Gianna Mancini is awesome - both as a player and person,” Civico said. “She is such an honest, intelligent player who is great on the ball. For her, the team is always first and that mentality impacts all those around her.”

Rutgers finished the regular season with a 15-3 record and second place finish with a 6-2 record in the Big Ten. They have tied the 1986 team for most wins in a season in program history and won the most Big Ten games since joining the league in 2014. The Scarlet Knights also set program records with ten wins over ranked foes, four top ten wins overall and seven ranked wins on the road.

The program heads into the postseason ranked No. 2 in the latest RPI rankings and No. 3 nationally in the latest coaches poll. Rutgers hosts the Big Ten Tournament this week from November 4-7. The No. 2 seeded Scarlet Knights will face No. 7 seeded Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday at 2 p.m airing live on BTN+