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13 U niversity of Iowa freshman student-athlete Maddy Murphy traveled more than 9,000 miles and found a new home. With only 11 games under her belt, Murphy is attracting Big Ten recognition and also turning heads in Australia. "I'm excited about the freshmen. We have some good, strong freshmen on the team," said sophomore defender and 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year Katie Birch. "Maddy has already won a Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor and that's exciting. Hopefully she can get more and the other freshmen can continue their success as well." Murphy was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Sept. 11, following a weekend where she tallied two goals and two assists for six points in Iowa's 7-1 victory over New Hampshire at Grant Field. "She's an amazingly skilled player. Her speed, athleticism, elimination factor, and stick-handling skills are outstanding," said Iowa head coach, Lisa Cellucci. "We knew when we were recruiting her that she would be a huge addition to this team, and it has been proven so far. I think she's going to continue to get better." e native of Riana, Tasmania, is second on the team in goals (seven), points (17), and shots (20). Murphy ranks third in the Big Ten in goals and fih in the conference in points. Murphy has four goals in her last five matches, but she is looking to diversify her game this season. "Right now I'm focusing on executing and my ability to score goals," said Murphy. "I would like to try different positions and become more versatile. I want to strengthen my game all around." Already off to a quick start in accomplishments this season, Murphy added another accolade when she was selected to the Australia Indoor World Cup Team on Aug. 29. e freshman becomes the 26th Hawkeye in program history to represent her county on the national stage. "We are excited and extremely proud of Maddy's selection to the Australian team for the upcoming Indoor World Cup," said Cellucci. "It is a great honor and one that she is very deserving of as she has done a fantastic job representing her country on the international stage in the past." "e Women's Australian team is pretty good, and it usually does well in the World Cup," said Murphy. "I think they are in the top 10 and I'm grateful to have made the team." Murphy and the Hawkeyes are looking for a strong close to the regular season. With only six matches remaining, Iowa will face three top 15 teams, two that are Big Ten foes. "We have learned that the Big Ten provides a lot of challenges and it's a very strong conference," said Murphy. "We know that if we work as a team, we can show the higher-ranked teams how we can play, and that we shouldn't be underestimated." OCTOBER SCHEDULE Oct. 8 at Duke Oct. 13 Northwestern Oct. 15 Michigan Oct. 20 at Michigan State Oct. 22 Ohio State Oct. 28 Big Ten Quarterfinals