Marcia Anne Pankratz (born October 1, 1964) is an American former field hockey forward and current head coach for the Michigan Wolverines. Pankratz participated in two Summer Olympics. In 1988 she finished in eighth position with Team USA, in 1996 she claimed the fifth spot. Pankratz had 110 international appearances over the course of her career.
Career
Playing career
Pankratz attended Wakefield High School and the University of Iowa, where she played for the Hawkeyes. She finished her career with 76 goals to rank third among all-time Iowa goal scorers. She was chosen for the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1984 and was part of the first team of the Big Ten All-Decade Team (1981–91). She was named University of Iowa Female Athlete of the Year and was twice (1984 and 1985) selected All-American. She won the Big Ten Medal of Honor for 1985–86.[1]
Pankratz was vice-captain of Team USA from 1985–1996. She played with the team that won a bronze medal at the Hockey World Cup in 1986 and 1994, a bronze medal at the 1991 Pan American Games, a silver at the Pan Am Games in 1995, and a bronze at the 1995 Hockey Champions Trophy tournament. She scored three goals at the 1996 Olympic Games.[1]
In 2017, Michigan swept the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships and recorded a program-record 21 wins, including 18 in a row, en route to the NCAA Final Four. In 2020, Michigan swept the Big Ten regular-season and tournament championships, and advanced to the 2020 NCAA Championship where they lost in the championship game to North Carolina in overtime.[2] She is the winningest coach in Michigan field hockey history, with a record of 333–142.[3]
