5-Year Anniversary: Revisiting the 2021 Big Ten Tournament Champion Field Hockey Team
Oct 15 | Field Hockey
A historic team that will never be forgotten. In the fall of 2021, the field hockey program achieved a significant first in Rutgers Athletics history, as they captured the Universityās first ever Big Ten Tournament title. A spectacular team had a memorable run throughout the tournament, winning three games in four days on its home field.
This weekend, Rutgers field hockey will welcome members of the 2021 team back to campus and celebrate the five-year anniversary of that momentous achievement. Ahead of that recognition, we look back at the journey that squad took, with the grind that it took to arrive at the mountaintop, raising the trophy in the nationās best conference.
Like any story about the 2020s, this one starts with the COVID-19 pandemic. The collegiate athletics world was altered when the world shut down, which meant that field hockey would not play its fall 2020 season. Instead, the season was moved to the spring for the first time in 2021. While battling numerous logistical challenges mid-pandemic, Rutgers played a rigorous schedule against only Big Ten team. The seeds were planted during that time that something special was starting here. The season began with the team spending two weeks together in Virgina Beach, building the teamās bonds, which only grew stronger over time.
That spring really set the stage for the team and their chemistry and their connection going into that 2021 season. We had been through something really challenging together. Nobody on the team had COVID during that time. We were able to keep our bubble and keep each other safe, which was incredible. That was the players and the team, and how much they cared about each other, and how much they wanted to be able to be in this environment and train. So that kind of set us up. We spent a lot of time off the field working on the team culture and the connection, and I think that set the stage for the 2021 team to come in and just be really connected, really driven, have a clear purpose.Head Coach Meredith Civico
The team bought in to the mentality that it took to preserve that spring. It was the most unusual of seasons for many reasons. In addition to playing in an adjusted timeline and among the many Covid tests that it required to keep the bubble safe, Rutgers family required its own protection. Head coach Meredith Civico was pregnant with her third child and wasnāt able to travel as much as usual to be with the team amidst the pregnancy.
Yet, the Scarlet Knights showed their mettle. As Civico was in the hospital giving birth, she watched from a bedside laptop as the Scarlet Knights started a stretch of four straight wins over top-10 wins with a weekend sweep of No. 9 Penn State, followed by a pair of wins the following weekend over No. 4 Northwestern. Civico earned Big Ten Co-Coach of the Year that spring for keeping the group together.
The spring season ultimately ended in Iowa City in a heartbreaker. Facing No. 5 Northwestern, RU was edged 2-1 by No. 5 Northwestern. The feelings in the locker room during the game were incomplete. The squad knew there was more to be accomplished. Katie Larmour addressed the group afterwards, telling the team how proud of them she was and sharing a clear message ā āweāre coming back next year and weāre winning this thing.ā
They were a group of players who drove the team, and drove the expectations. When you have that as a coach, you know you're going to have a special team. So that was really cool. Not the ending we wanted in the spring, but that team was ready. When we came back in August, we were reading to get after it.Head Coach Meredith Civico
With the spring season ending on April 21, RU was right back to work in record time preparing for the fall. Only one graduating senior had departed, with Gracey Butsack participating in a rare solo Senior Day to conclude her 29-game career, where she started all 14 games in the previous spring. With the NCAA granted eligibility exemptions for the first time, Rutgers returned a group of talented fifth year players to boost the fallās roster. The Scarlet Knights went into the fall with four returning All-Big Ten and All-Region players (Gianna Glatz, Katie Larmour, Kerrie Burns and Milena Redlingshoefer).
We're quite a mature bunch, a strong senior class and group of older players. Being mature, having that kind of hockey knowledge is something that's really important in this sport.Katie Larmour (said ahead of that 2021 season)
This team's chemistry is honestly electric. Everyone loves each other, we're all sisters and we really are a Rutgers family. That's definitely visible on the field.Abby Regn (said during the 2021 preseason)
RU then added a dynamic freshman class that would include three players to make a tremendous instant impact as starters.
Guillermina Causarano started 21 games at midfield as a freshman and went on to be an impactful Scarlet Knight as a two-time All-Big Ten selection and three-time captain, with her 68 points the most for any Scarlet Knight to play under Meredith Civico.
Iris Langejans arrived midway into training camp from the Netherlands, but didnāt falter for a second, with her incredible determination and composure fitting right in to a starting role as the right halfback on the teamās elite defense. A future Big Ten Player of the Year and First Team All-American, her presence was felt right away.
Leading into the season, we knew we had a really strong team, and the leadership and the fifth years coming back. We were really excited. We knew that we had some unfinished business to handle. Kerrie, Katie, and I as captains, we were super excited. We knew that our team had a ton of potential.Gianna Glatz
The previous spring season, Rutgers allowed just 15 goals in 14 games. That defensive fortitude continued in the fall, with just 24 tallied by RU opponents in 23 contests, as RU led the conference in save percentage. Thatās a truly outstanding statistic to picture ā with Rutgers opponents averaging barely a goal per game across a two year span.
It started with Glatz in goal, a high-level communicator who organized the group. The season actually started with her backup filling her shoes, as she spent the first weekend of the season playing with Team USA at a tournament in Chile. Nonetheless, Sophia Howard capably took the reins, leading Rutgers to a shutout victory over Duke in the opener, then topping Richmond, and of course, continuing RUās goalkeeper legacy after Glatzās graduation as an All-Region level goalkeeper herself.
Glatz finished the season in the top-10 nationally in goals-against-average (0.93) and save percentage (.792). Her accolade list as a Scarlet Knight from 2017 through 2021 is lengthy. Overall, she was a three-time All-American, the last two seasons as a First Team Selection. She was a four-time First Team All-Region selection, a four-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, and finished that 2021 season as the Big Ten Co-Player of the Year and ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.
With a freshman in Iris Langejans on the right, she was joined by two strong veterans in Milena Redlingshoefer and Liz Romano. Romano spent her final two seasons as a Scarlet Knight following two years at UConn. An immediate starter and stabilizer, she was a Second Team All-Region selection. An elite talent out of Germany, Redlingshoefer was a four-year starter who returned for that fall season as an All-American. A two-time All-Big Ten and two-time All-Region player, she also provided offensive firepower with a knack that season for converting on penalty strokes. She was 7-of-7 at the dot that season to share the team lead in goals with Lucy Bannatyne, and also notched a team-high 12 assists and 28 points.
The group was facilitated by a pair of All-Americans in the center midfield in captains Kerrie Burns and Katie Larmour.
Our defense was so strong. That's something that, as a goalkeeper, I knew we needed to be locked in on defense from preseason, right? And that's something that myself and the other defenders and a center midfielder like Kerrie Burns, working together, making sure that we're all on the same page, that was something we knew needed to be a big part of our mentality. We started to trust each other more and more in the backfield. Everyone knew that we had each other's back. We ran a tight ship back there to make sure that everyone was doing their job, doing what they were supposed to do, and once everyone's on the same page, it just comes together so well. And we really were able to play as one unit, and things came together for us when the time came.Gianna Glatz
Throughout the season, the team piled up wins, entering that Big Ten Tournament with an outstanding 15-5 record. But among that winning, it was actually the sting of defeat that truly motivated that team. After taking the first loss of the season to St. Joeās in Philadelphia, the team was angry at themselves for missed opportunities, vowing to use that as a turning point, demanding more of themselves, eager to pursue big dreams.
Early on we knew we had potential that we weren't meeting. We recognized that some of our goals had slipped away a bit during the regular season but leading into the Big Ten Tournament, we had confidence that we could really make a difference and shake things up in the tournament.Gianna Glatz
The season was full of memorable moments after that. The Scarlet Knights toppled No. 3 Northwestern despite Katie Larmour playing through a migraine headache, with a tactical switch seeing Causarano play center midfield for the first time, and RU prevailed in a 2-1 comeback win. The only other teams to defeat RU in the regular after that would be No. 1 Iowa and No. 2 Michigan, with a 3-0 loss at No. 2 Michigan in late October being another mark where RU would swear they would get their vengeance ā¦ later seeing them again in the Big Ten Championship game.
The team celebrated Senior Day weekend, with 11 overall seniors recognized across two games of commemorations, with that 16th win holding the number 3 ranking in the nation, having defeated 10 ranked teams along the way.
There were many other players who contributed to the teamās successes. Rutgers forward group of Rachel Houston, Kassidy Shetler, Bridy Molyneaux, Tayla Parkes and Amanda Beck added 17 goals on the year. Gianna Mancini, Carly Snarski and Maggie Lamb stabilized RUās midfield, with the senior Gianna Mancini (five goals) got to play alongside her younger sister Bella. It was a total team effort from throughout the roster.
Preparing to host the Big Ten Tournament at Bauer for the first time was a feat in itself. Athletic department staff met weekly throughout the fall to put the pieces together for the event itself. The logistics of the event created new challenges, including the prospect of games later in the day with early sunset times in early November. That necessitated the facilities crew, led by Tory Sharpless, to bring in rented lights for the first ever night games at the Bauer Complex.
The marketing effort was in high force all season long, seeking to bring large crowds to witness high-level field hockey in the Garden State. Ultimately, that delivered as well, with record crowds packing the complex. Rutgers got over 1,000 fans for both its semifinal and championship games. In the championship game, the attendance of 1,617 was not just the largest NCAA crowd of the season, but dating back to 2018. The games played at Rutgers in the Big Ten Tournament represented five of the top six crowds in Division I NCAA Field Hockey that season.
Hosting the tournament here at Rutgers was just an incredible feat by everybody involved. We were so excited when we found out we were going to have it here, especially that we were going to be able to play that tournament here at Rutgers with that group. The effort, the planning that went into hosting the Big Ten Tournament here at Rutgers was incredible. It started in the summer, and it was everybody that worked so hard, from facilities to Athletic Communications, it was really everybody. It was incredible to bring lights in here at Bauer, the facility looked incredible. The group behind the scenes worked so hard to make this event the absolute best of the best. The hockey was incredible. The atmosphere was incredible. The fan base was incredible. We had so much support from other teams, student-athletes and staff members. I think winning it like that at Rutgers, knowing how much everybody put into this here, made it that much more special. It was an absolute total athletic department effort, and every single person that made that happen, I'm just so grateful.Head Coach Meredith Civico
That effort was recognized by the student-athletes as well. Before the tournament started, they took a private moment to themselves out on the pitch to see their field lit up at night for the first time.
Before the tournament even started, one evening, a few of us went out to the field, and we really took everything in. We got to see our field lit up for the first time, and I remember thinking, like, man, like in a few days, what an opportunity we have here. We could walk off winners. It's a great team, great leadership. Everyone's brought in, and we can make an impact here.Gianna Glatz
The captains - Glatz, Burns and Larmour ā were so crucial to RUās success all season long. As they took that post-dinner walk that night, the trio had a feeling there was more in store.
Hosting the Big 10 tournament was a surreal experience. To see Bauer under the lights for the first time, all light up, that was an insane moment. We were so excited to play.Kerrie Burns
Quarterfinals (November 4, 2026): Rutgers 3-1 over Indiana
Recap | Photo Gallery
Rutgers was the No. 2 seed in the tournament and drew No. 7 seed Indiana to open. The game began with Meredith Civico sitting on a milestone herself, with 99 career wins as Rutgersā head coach to start the tournament.
āWe actually realized early on in that season that Meredith could get her 100th win,ā Glatz said. We made that a goal in our minds that we wanted to be the team to get her there.ā
And that they did, as Rutgers earned the win. The team actually trailed early, but showed their resilience, with goals from Milena Redlingshoefer, Bridy Molyneaux and Lucy Bannatyne. Milena Redlingshoefer, Bridy Molyneaux and Lucy Bannatyne providing the goals for what was RUās first ever Big Ten Tournament victory.
After the game, with the team ceding their home field for a later game to debrief inside the arena, the team surprised their coach with flowers to commemorate her 100th victory, and then took the celebration up a notch, launching confetti poppers into the air. The moment, and the support of her team that cared so much for her to honor her actually moved their coach to tears.
"This is a moment of incredible pride. I love Rutgers. I love this program. It means so much to me and the team. To have so many people - players, alumns, people that work at Rutgers, other coaches out here support at the game wanting this for me and the team, that's the ultimate moment. That's why I coach and I love what I do. I'm really grateful.Head Coach Meredith Civico - said upon reaching 100 career wins.
??????Postgame celebrations honoring our head coach, Meredith Civico, on her ?? career wins! https://t.co/qCfyl70akv
— Rutgers Field Hockey (@RUFieldHockey) November 4, 2021
Semifinals (November 5, 2026): Rutgers 2-1 over Penn State
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After playing an earlier game on Thursday, the semifinal game against No. 3 seed and No. 7 ranked Penn State would be the first chance for Rutgers to officially play under the lights as the 4:30 start time quickly turned to nighttime.
The game against Penn State provided a big challenge, with two elite players to focus on for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were led by Sophia Gladieux (a future Olympian for Team USA who had 202 career points at Penn State) and Mackenzie Allessie (also a Team USA player, a First Team All-American that season who now coaches La Salle, coming back to Bauer just this season at the helm of the Explorers).
Rutgers got on the board first in the game, scoring just under seven minutes into the game, with Bridy Molyneaux finishing a goal. Kassidy Shetler added a third quarter insurance tally. Gladieux did add a goal late, but the home crowd got behind their Scarlet Knights, with a number of other Rutgers athletics teams packing the stands to lead chants and create a hostile atmosphere. Once again, the defense had to come up big in big moments, as Kerrie Burns had a huge defensive save on a final minute Penn State penalty corner to preserve the win.
Having a night game on our home field that we've never had before, it was a different experience. That game I remember so clearly-the sunset and the crowd, having the other Rutgers teams to support us. Menās lacrosse especially, they were really rowdy on the sideline. Having our families and friends all there, it was a great crowd. It was really encouraging to be able to play on our home turf and have that amount of fan base as well. It was insane to see our stands full, and even people standing by the fence, to have family, friends, other teams showing up for us. It was a really special moment, and it meant even more because of who was around us.āKerrie Burns
āOur crowd was insane,ā said Iris Langejans after the game, remarking to staff members how uniquely American the experience seemed to an international import. āIt was so overwhelming, I feel so lucky to be here. Playing this game on our home turf is such a big advantage.ā
Championship (November 7, 2026): Rutgers 1-0 over Michigan
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Leading up to the championship game, Rutgers took in energy from their support once again. In the team hotel, they watched video messages from alumni, family and friends. It was especially meaningful with Covid restrictions still in places, which meant many international family members were unable to travel to the game. The support was evident and a huge boost of encouragement leading into the game.
Michigan entered the game ranked second nationally, so a win would be the highest ranked victory for the program in history. Plus, RU was looking for revenge for the regular season meeting.
We always played Michigan tough. They're a physical team. They're a hardworking team. They also had some really great players in the group that year, we knew it was going to be a tough game. We knew we were going to have to defend really hard. We knew we'd get not a lot of chances, but when we did, we had to make them count.Head Coach Meredith Civico
The game was tightly played indeed. It was just one moment in the second quarter that made the impact. With just six minutes until halftime, Katie Larmour intercepted a pass to start the RU offense. Gianna Mancini possessed the ball outside the circle, and was swarmed by four Michigan defenders pressing to the ball. She sent a pass into the circle, where two RU forwards were watched by just one Michigan defender. Bridy Molyneaux received the pass and dragged it back to Talya Parkes. The New Zealand native slammed it home, Rutgers players dogpiled her on the spot, and that would be all the home team needed.
āWe had the mindset that we were not coming off that field without a trophy in our hands,ā Burns said. āAnd that's how we performed.ā
The third and fourth quarters passed without a goal, but not without drama. Rutgers defense was at the center as Michigan pressed for the equalizer, but against that group on that day, there was no chance Rutgers was going to lose.
āThat final moment felt like a lifetime,ā Burns said. āI remember counting down the final minute and just constantly checking the scoreboard. The final whistle went, the celebration started. It just gives me goosebumps even thinking about it now. Just that we finally did it, and the first in the school's history.ā
āIt was right up to the end. They definitely had some chances, and we just defended hard, and were able to hold on. And I think that was something that team, the 2021 team, they were so tough and so gritty, and sometimes we had to just kind of score one and hang on and defend really hard, and that was a bit of their M-O. Once the clock hit zero and the horn went, and everybody ran in, it was just the most incredible feeling. That team had worked so hard; they had been through so much together, and to be able to lift that trophy, this trophy, together with that group was just there's no other feeling like it.Head Coach Meredith Civico
With the championship secured, players, staff, fans, friends, parents, family, alumni and all in attendance swarmed the pitch in celebration. A Gatorade jug was dumped over the head coach. The trophy was raised. Cell phones were present everywhere as players snapped their first photos with it and the party was on.
When that horn finally blew, it was almost like a sigh of relief. All that preparation and all that work has paid off, and then to get to really celebrate it with everyone. That's something that we get to have forever, so it really is an incredible experience.Gianna Glatz
Gianna Glatz joined her on the All-Tournament team. With certificates presented, the emotional celebration continued on the field and went on for a long time as everyone got their turn with the trophy.
āPure joy. Winning with that team at home, with everybody there for us, I don't think there's any better feeling. It was really special. It wasn't just that team, the 2021 team, but it was all the players that came before as well, out on the turf with their families, with their parents, some of them with their kids, which was really cool.Head Coach Meredith Civico
Eventually the celebration left the pitch. Most made their way next to Yurcak Field to support the Rutgers womenās soccer program, who also faced Michigan in a home Big Ten Tournament championship bid that day. The staff gathered to recap the overwhelming week at a local favorite establishment in nearby Highland Park.
The team had lifted the trophy around 2 p.m. on that Sunday. At 10 p.m. that night, the team regrouped at the Rodkin, for that Sunday was also Selection Sunday. As a team, Rutgers watched the NCAA Selection Show. For the first time, there was no drama about an at large selection. With the automatic berth secured, the question became not whether Rutgers was in or out, but where they were ranked.
The answer came quickly into the show. On the heels of the Big Ten title, Rutgers was the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
When the team heard that number 1 seed, the whole room erupted, with coaches and players alike jumping into the air. The celebration was on once again as all in the room thought about how far they had come.
That moment when you are the number 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament! We'll see you on Friday at Bauer!??: https://t.co/mR3YwstDNp https://t.co/BZV6zvVDBd
— Rutgers Field Hockey (@RUFieldHockey) November 8, 2021
āIt was incredible,ā Civico said. āWe left our mark, so to speak. Our staff and the players who come into this program have tremendous belief in Rutgers and the field hockey program and the people that have come before them as well. So, I think to win that championship at home, to be the number one seed in the NCAA tournament, just really solidified our place. We worked really hard for that. I'm really proud of the program, the staff, the athletic department to be in a position where we're the number one seed. That's a total effort by everybody and just says a lot about Rutgers and Rutgers field hockey.ā
āIt was five years in the making being part of that team,ā Burns said. āTo think about where we had started and then that season being number one just shows the perseverance of that entire squad.ā
Ultimately, the Scarlet Knights fell short of their ultimate goals on the year. The Scarlet Knights were back home the following weekend to host an NCAA Regional, defeating Delaware in the opening game before facing BIG EAST champions Liberty in the Elite Eight. Rutgers got so close to the Final Four. After 80 minutes of action, the two teams were deadlocked, and the game against the Flames went into a penalty shootout, ultimately, ending in heartbreaking fashion.
"Everything we've done to this point has been so meaningful. Our goal was to be Big Ten champions and we accomplished that. Regardless of this result and this season ending, no one will ever take that away from us. It's such a testament to what this team and staff have done here. We can't forget that we made history as Big Ten champions. There's still history to be made and it's only up from here for this program. I'm so proud of all these girls."Katie Larmour said on the field after the game against Liberty.
The season had transformed the programās place in college field hockey. Rutgers University would make sure the team did not forget its accomplishments, celebrating the group with first a team luncheon and then a prestigious campus honor. Rutgers got to Ring the Bells at Old Queens, a unique honor specific to Rutgers reserved for only special moments.
Rutgers finished with 19 wins, 13 victories over ranked opponents and six wins against top-10 teams. Four Scarlet Knights earned All-Big Ten honors, with Glatz named a First Team All-American and Larmour receiving Second Team All-American recognition.
The legacy that group left was really one to remember. The culture of that team in itself drove us to win that championship with the mindset of refusing to lose.Kerrie Burns
The legacy continues today as even a current player, Olivia Fraticelli, remembers being in attendance for all the games as a local recruit and looking up to the players. This Sunday, those in attendance as the team is honored at Bauer will once again be regaled with stories of the glory days.
I think that team left a legacy in a lot of ways. A big tenet of our program is to leave the jersey better than you found it, leave the team better than you found it, leave the program better than you found it, and I think that team really did that during their time here. They really solidified the team culture, that family culture, they cared so much for each other. They were willing to do whatever it took for each other to be successful. They were selfless. They were great leaders. They were great members of Rutgers Athletics, not just the hockey program, but they left the athletic department better than they found it. I think everybody that worked with that team, remembers those players and remembers their time here On the Banks, which I think is really special.Head coach Meredith Civico
The group was made special by how tight they were both on and off the field. It was a long journey to reach those heights, but a one that they took together each step of the way. In the end, it led to a truly special result that will never be forgotten in Rutgers Athletics history.
āThose are were our best friends. Those are some of our greatest memories. So to be able to have that forever and to share that forever, it is really incredible. Not everyone gets to have that, so we're super fortunate. Over the five seasons that we were at Rutgers, knowing where we started, to put the name of Rutgers out there and become a powerhouse and a team that other teams wanted to be was so special. That is a legacy that will hold on forever. We have arrived. This is us. This is Rutgers.Gianna Glatz
