No. 1 seed Penn State claims the Big Ten Tournament Championship with a 2-0 victory over No. 3 seed Michigan!
AS A SOPHOMORE IN 2011: Medical Redshirt season.
AS A FRESHMAN IN 2010: Appeared in five games during her first season with Penn State ... Made her collegiate debut against No. 5 UConn on September 3 ... Eventually saw action in four straight contests beginning with the squad's bout against the Huskies ... Helped the Nittany Lions post victories against Lock Haven, Lafayette, and Temple in the span of six days in mid-September ... Also appeared during Penn State's 7-2 win over Monmouth on October 3.p>
SPRING 2010: Enrolled at Penn State where she participated with the Nittany Lions during the spring season.
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starter for Resurrection Catholic High School in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada ... Squad was District 8 Champions all four years ... Named to the District 8 All-Star Team each season as well ... Team captain as a senior, scoring 20 goals and assisting on 33 more ... Resurrection went 17-2 with an incredible 16 shutous, winning the CWOSSA Championship for the first time in 30 years while advancing to the OFSAA (Ontario High School Championships) Quarterfinals ... Also a member of numerous other clubs ... Most recently, was selected for the Ontario Provincial Senior Women's Team which won a Silver Medal at the Canadian Field Hockey Championships in Victoria, B.C. in July, 2010 ... Also won Silver at the JFK Memorial Field Hockey Tournament in May ... In 2009, was captain of the Ontario U18 Provincial Women's Team which won a Silver Medal at the Canada Cup ... Selected for two other teams - Ontario U23 Provincial Women's Team and Canadian National Women's Team Selected Camp - in July of 2009 ... Participated on numerous other squads from 2007-10 ... Strong in the classroom, graduating in June, 2009 as an Ontario Scholar ... Received Principal's Outstanding Contribution Award and Resurrection's Big R Merit Award as a senior ... An Honor Roll student all four years ... Also played ice hockey, soccer and track at Resurrection.
PERSONAL: Full name is Natalie Buttinger ... Born on February 17, 1991 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada ... Daughter of Gord and Pam Buttinger. Father played varsity football and mother played varsity basketball in Canada ... Sister of Maddie (20), Jessica (17), Scott (15), Danielle (14), Emily (12) and Rachel (9). Maddie runs track at Notre Dame while Jessica is a member of the Canadian National Women's Indoor Field Hockey Team ... Majoring in education.
ON CHOOSING PENN STATE: "I choose Penn State because I loved the school, the academic excellence, the big time campus with a small town feel and the people. When I came to the field hockey camp last summer, I loved my future teammates and the coaches. They made it feel like another home away from home. I also would like to help Penn State win a Big Ten and National Championship in field hockey."
