Field Hockey Opens Spring Competition

Feb 26 | Field Hockey

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RU Begins Offseason Competition Schedule at Big Apple International Indoor Tournament

PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers field hockey is set to begin a competitive spring slate this weekend. The Scarlet Knights will compete in the Big Apple International Indoor Tournament.

The tournament is a highly competitive event, with members of the Rutgers' roster composing two separate teams within the event. The two Rutgers' teams will join teams from Maryland, St. Joe's, Albany, Drexel, Old Dominion and Vermont, with 12 teams overall. All games at The Training Center in Spring City, Pennsylvania.

The Rutgers' Scarlet team will be Caroline DeKenipp, Olivia Fraticelli, Vicky Jure, Sophie Kuiper, Emily Nicholls, Paulina Niklaus, Olivia Stazi, Puck Winter, Abbie Zacchini. The team will compete against Maryland, Vermont and Old Dominion in initial games on Saturday.

The Rutgers' Black team will be Ashley Arnold, Natalie Arnold, Erica Babitts, Olivia Beattie, Anna Cogdell, Dani Gindville, Kara Heck, Maddie Kidd and Maddie Olshemski. That squad will compete against Albany, Drexel and Old Dominion in Saturday's competition.

"We are excited to compete in the Big Apple Tournament and test ourselves against strong competition," Paulina Niklaus said. "Over the past weeks, we have put in a lot of hard work, and this is a great opportunity to see our progress. Our focus is to take it game by game, learning and growing with each match. We are ready to bring our energy and commitment to the field and make the most of this experience."

Each team will have at least four 40 minute matches, with a champion crowned in each division. Sunday's matchups, along with semifinals and finals, will be determined after Saturday's results.

The program has a history of strong performances at this event. RU has had at least one team medal in the past five times they have competed, including a third place finish in 2018 and four second place finishes in 2019, 2020, 2023 and 2024. Last spring, RU had its two teams finish second and fourth, marking the first time where both RU team entrants reached the semifinals and played for a medal.

"We have seen significant progression from every single player during this indoor segment of our spring," Civico said. "The Big Apple Tournament is a great opportunity for the team to come together and be challenged as we build towards the fall season. Our staff can't wait to support the group as they compete this weekend."

The Big Apple Tournament is the first of four competitions that RU has on the recently announced spring schedule.

Rutgers has two home contests at the Bauer Track and Field Hockey Complex. The Scarlet Knights will welcome Syracuse on April 5 and also have a home tilt against Lafayette on April 26. The team will hit travel for a game at UConn on April 12.

In fall season competition, Rutgers has been a top flight program of recent. The 2021 Big Ten champions have won 51 of their past 78 games over the past four seasons.

Last fall, RU defeated four ranked teams: No. 3 Ohio State, No. 7 Iowa, No. 7 Ohio State, and No. 17 Penn State. Rutgers has 17 ranked wins in the past five seasons and 41 ranked wins since 2018, which includes 16 top-10 wins since 2021. The team was ranked last season in the top-20 for numerous weeks in both the NFHCA Coaches Poll and the RPI rankings.