PARK RIDGE, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference office announced the 2009 All-Big Ten field hockey teams and individual awards Thursday, with 2009 conference champion Michigan State winning two individual honors. Spartan senior Floor Rijpma was a unanimous choice for Offensive Player of the Year while her coach, Rolf van de Kerkhof, was honored as Coach of the Year. Additionally, Ohio State's Berta Queralt was named the conference's Freshman of the Year, and Iowa senior Meghan Beamesderfer was crowned the Defensive Player of the Year.

The wins for Rijpma and van de Kerkhof mark the second time Michigan State has won the Offensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards, respectively. The Spartans won both awards in 2001. Beamesderfer is the second Iowa student-athlete to win Defensive Player of the Year in the last five years, as Heather Schnepf won the award in 2005 and 2006. Queralt gives Ohio State its first Freshman of the Year since 2003.

Beamesderfer and Rijpma were unanimous choices for the All-Big Ten first team, along with Indiana midfielder Meg O'Connell. Joining the trio on the conference's first team were Indiana's Corey Brautigam, Iowa's Tricia Dean, Michigan's Meredith Way, Michigan State's Jeamie Deacon, Northwestern's Chelsea Armstrong, and the Ohio State trio of Aisling Coyle, Queralt and goalkeeper Lindsay Quintiliani. Deacon earns her third straight All-Big Ten first team citation, and Rijpma makes her second straight appearance, while Beamesderfer, Coyle, O'Connell and Way moved up from last year's second team.

Named to the All-Big Ten second team were Indiana's Morgan Fleetwood, Michigan's Paige Laytos and Alicia Mayer, Michigan State's Jantine Steinmetz and Manouk Vernij, Northwestern's Elizabeth Dobbs and Courtney Plaster-Strange, Ohio State's Maria Briones, and Penn State's Laura Cahill and Bethany Marvel. The second team goalkeeper is Michigan State's Elissa Unger.

Additionally, the conference named the field hockey Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The 2009 honorees are Indiana's Jaclyn Milici, Iowa's Becca Spengler, Michigan's Jenner Johnson, Michigan State's Julie Mackay, Northwestern's Stacy Uchida, Ohio State's Jenn Sciulli, and Penn State's Christine Dudek.

2009 All-Big Ten Teams
First Team
MEG O'CONNELL, Sr., midfield, IND
Corey Brautigam, So., midfield, IND
MEGHAN BEAMESDERFER, Sr., defense, IOWA
Tricia Dean, Sr., midfield, IOWA
Meredith Way, Jr., midfield, MICH
FLOOR RIJPMA, Sr., forward, MSU
Jeamie Deacon, Sr., midfield, MSU
Chelsea Armstrong, So., forward, NU
Aisling Coyle, So., midfield, OSU
Berta Queralt, Fr., forward, OSU
Lindsay Quintiliani, Sr., goalkeeper, OSU
 
Second Team
Morgan Fleetwood, Fr., forward, IND
Paige Laytos, Jr., midfield, MICH
Alicia Mayer, Jr., forward, MICH
Jantine Steinmetz, Jr., forward, MSU
Elissa Unger, Sr., goalkeeper, MSU
Manouk Vernij, Fr., midfield, MSU
Elizabeth Dobbs, Sr., forward, NU
Courtney Plaster-Strange, Sr., forward, NU
Maria Briones, So., forward, OSU
Laura Cahill, Sr., defense, PSU
Bethany Marvel, Fr., midfield, PSU

Offensive Player of the Year: FLOOR RIJPMA, MSU

Defensive Player of the Year: Meghan Beamesderfer, IOWA

Freshman of the Year: Berta Queralt, OSU

Coach of the Year: Rolf van de Kerkhof, MSU

Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Jaclyn Milici, IND
Becca Spengler, IOWA
Jenner Johnson, MICH
Julie Mackay, MSU
Stacy Uchida, NU
Jenn Sciulli, OSU
Christine Dudek, PSU
 
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS