NORFOLK, Va. -- Coming off a 2023 Big East Conference Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance, the Old Dominion field hockey team has announced big plans for the 2024 home opening weekend.
The weekend of September 13-15 will be a very special one for former and future Monarchs as they kick off the Maaike Hilbrand ODU Field Hockey Fundraising Campaign. On Friday, September 13, the Monarchs will host Duke at 5 p.m. for their home opener. Prior to the game, there will be a field dedication ceremony for the first field hockey contest on the new turf installed this summer at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
The next afternoon, former and current Monarchs are invited to a tailgate gathering before the football team takes on Virginia Tech that evening with the game starting at 6 p.m. More info to come on the tailgate.
On Sunday, September 15, the Monarchs will host Ohio State at noon. In honor of the late Maaike Hilbrand, we will bring together 50 years of ODU Field Hockey. We are establishing the Maaike Hilbrand ODU Field Hockey Fundraising Campaign in recognition of her legacy and representing the achievements and future of women in sport. The fund will directly support the education of current and future field hockey student-athletes, funding scholarships and program enhancements. Hilbrand’s family will be in attendance and recognized at halftime.
“This will be a great, challenging weekend for us to open our new turf. We are all excited to play against two quality teams from the ACC and Big Ten, with Duke coming off an NCAA semifinal appearance last year,” said ODU Head Coach Andrew Griffiths.
“It will also be a chance to celebrate the success through the different eras of field hockey at ODU and the growth of women’s sport in the NCAA over 50 years. We will have a chance to symbolize this in recognition of Maaike Hilbrand, one of ODU’s legendary players. We are honored to celebrate her life as an athlete and person, by introducing an educational fund for future Monarchs in Maaike’s name, which will be a positive and influential way to continue her legacy,” he added.
For those wishing to donate toward the campaign, click here.