State College, Pa., October 31, 2001 - The 13th-ranked Nittany Lion field hockey team will take a trip to the Big Ten Tournament, Nov. 2-4, at Lakeside Field on the campus of Northwestern University. Penn State will face No. 4 seed and 16th-ranked Iowa in the first round of the tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. (ET). The Nittany Lions finished in a tie for fourth after going 3-3 in the Big Ten during the regular season, but received the fifth seed because the Hawkeyes defeated PSU, 2-1, on Oct. 5. This is the lowest seeding the Nittany Lions have ever earned, placing first or second prior to this year.

After this week's NFHCA Coaches Poll, the Nittany Lions remain at No. 13 in the country. Penn State is riding an eight-game win streak heading into the conference tournament, dating back to Oct. 7. The Lions finished the month of October 9-1, posting a 12-6 record overall.

Top-seeded Michigan State will face the winner of the Penn State-Iowa game in the semifinals on Nov. 3 at 12:30 p.m. (ET).

The last time the Big Ten Tournament was held at Northwestern was in 1996 when the Nittany Lions won the crown. Penn State is 11-3 all-time in the conference tournament. No other team has more wins or more tournament titles than the Lions.

The championship game is scheduled for Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. (ET). The winner of the conference championship receives an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

2001 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament
Friday, November 2
Game 1 - #2 Ohio State vs. #7 Indiana, 11 a.m.
Game 2 - #4 Iowa vs. #5 Penn State, 1 p.m.
Game 3 - #3 Michigan vs. #6 Northwestern, 3 p.m.

Saturday, November 3
Semifinal 1 - #1 Michigan State vs. Game 2 winner, 12:30 p.m.
Semifinal 2 - Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 3 p.m.

Sunday, November 4
Championship game, 2 p.m.

*All times eastern.