STATE COLLEGE, Pa., June 27, 2001 - The Penn State field hockey team will be looking forward to another successful season as it opens the 2001 campaign on the road against the University of North Carolina on September 1 at 1 p.m. The Nittany Lions will be setting their sights on a Big Ten Championship and a 20th-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

After a tough matchup against the 2000 NCAA Tournament finalist Tar Heels, the Lions will not have time to rest as they take on defending national champion Old Dominion in Norfolf, Va., on September 3.

Penn State will open an 11-game home slate by hosting Connecticut on September 8 before going on a three-game road swing which includes two games in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge which will be hosted by Ohio State University.

Big Ten action will begin on the Lions' first game back from the three-game road trip. Ohio State will visit State College on September 21 at 5 p.m.

Also highlighting the 2001 schedule is Atlantic Coast Conference power Wake Forest. In what will be the first meeting between the teams, the Demon Deacons were ranked as high as third in the nation last year, ending the season with an 18-4 record overall and advancing to the NCAA Tournament semifinals.

Michigan handed Penn State its only Big Ten loss then defeated the Lions in the Big Ten Championship game for the conference crown. The rematch will be in Ann Arbor, Mich., on October 20.

The 2001 Big Ten Tournament will be hosted by Northwestern in Evanston, Ill., on November 2-4. The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament which begins on November 10 at campus sites. The second round will take be on November 11, followed by the semifinals and championship games on November 16 and 18 in Kent, Ohio. The Lions will play six of the 16 teams to qualify for last year's NCAA Tournament during the regular season.

The Lions went 17-5 last year and 5-1 in the Big Ten. Penn State made its 19th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, losing in the first round to Princeton, 4-2. The team returns 13 letterwinners from last season's squad, including eight starters.

2001 PENN STATE FIELD HOCKEY SCHEDULE
Sat., Sept. 1 at North Carolina 1 p.m.
Mon. Sept. 3 at Old Dominion 1 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 8 CONNECTICUT 1 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 12 at St. Joseph's 5:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 15-16 at Big Ten/Big East Challenge
Hosted by Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Sat., Sept. 15 vs. Rutgers 11 a.m.
Sun., Sept. 16 vs. Villanova 11 a.m.
Fri., Sept., 21 OHIO STATE 5 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 26 at Temple 3:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 28 MICHIGAN STATE 7 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 30 WAKE FOREST 1:30 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 2 BUCKNELL 7 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 5 at Iowa 4 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 7 PRINCETON 1 p.m.
Tues., Oct. 9 WEST CHESTER 3 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 12 NORTHWESTERN 5 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 14 JAMES MADISON 12 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 20 at Michigan 11 a.m.
Tues., Oct. 23 SYRACUSE 3 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 24 PENNSYLVANIA 7 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 28 at Indiana 12 p.m.
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 2-4 at Big Ten Tournament
Hosted by Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.
Sat.-Sun., Nov. 10-11 NCAA Tournament First and Second Rounds
Fri., Nov. 16 NCAA Tournament Semifinal
Hosted by Kent State University, Kent, Ohio
Sun., Nov. 18 NCAA Tournament Championship
Hosted y Kent State University, Kent, Ohio