Oct. 29, 2007

EAST LANSING, Mich. - EAST LANSING, Mich. - Senior midfielder Amy Schneider was named Big Ten Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week, after another strong defensive performance against the No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes on Saturday and Kent State on Sunday.. The Big Ten office made the official announcement on Monday, Oct. 29.

Schneider earned her second straight weekly honor after helping Michigan State clinch the No. 2 seed in 2007 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Iowa. The Spartan defense shut out the Hawkeyes in a game that determined second and third place in the conference standings. Schneider also paced the MSU defense in a 5-1 rout of Kent State on Sunday. This is Schneider's second weekly honor of her career.

"Amy is a great team player; her experience as a four-year player shows, and she continues to perform very well on both sides of the ball. Thanks to her play, opponents have been limited in generating true scoring opportunities, especially over the last few Big Ten games," said head coach Rolf van der Kerkhof. "Amy's solid defensive play allows her teammates to improve on their defensive skill and awareness, as she is a great role model within our team. I would like to congratulate Amy and my team for a great regular-season performance, and I look forward to being part of the experience as we show Spartan pride in the weeks to come."

Besides her outstanding defense, Schneider also leads the Spartans in assists on the season (12) and has added three goals for a total of 18 points. Schneider was selected, along with teammate Becky Manning, to play in the Senior All-Star game. The game will take place at the University of Maryland in College Park at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 17.

The Spartans travel to Columbus, Ohio, this week to compete the the Big Ten tournament. No. 2 seed Michigan State opens first-round play against No. 7 seed Northwestern on Thursday, Sept. 1, at 10 a.m. et.