Winters in the Midwest aren’t pretty. When the snow is falling and the winds are howling, any Midwesterner would gladly pack up and head for warmer weather.
But Gilroy native Dani Hemeon is reveling in every minute of the long Iowa winters.
Hemeon, the Mustangs field hockey standout, is fresh off her junior season with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and said it’s everything she’s hoped for and more.
“My freshmen year I definitely struggled with the cold and the winter and how to adjust and wear layers when you go outside,” Hemeon said. “Now I’m definitely like a seasoned veteran. I know how to get dressed and how to live in the snow. I definitely wouldn’t change it for the world. I do love coming home to California, but I love, love Iowa.”
The junior midfielder was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I All-American third team as well as the NFHCA West Region All-American first team following her standout season. She was an All-Region first team selection and helped lead her team to the Big Ten Championship game, scoring the second most points on the Hawkeyes squad this season with 30 on 13 goals. She recorded a hat trick against Indiana on Oct. 11 and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week because of it. She was also named to the All-Big Ten first team, as well as the All-Big Ten Tournament team.
But even with all her achievements this season, the Big Ten Championship is the one that sticks out the most.
“It was so cool the way we got there. We came back from a 2-0 deficit against Penn State and then tied the game up with like no time left and then beat them in overtime,” Hemeon said. “It was a pretty exciting game to get there, we just couldn’t hold on. Getting there, the journey there was pretty awesome.”
Hemeon plays as a striker on the Hawkeyes attack, a post player on defense and even played center this season. Her versatility was one of the things that first caught Iowa coach Tracey Greiesbaum’s eye and she said it’s held true ever since.
“Her skills under pressure — she can get us out of trouble,” Greisbaum said. “She’s really good at eliminating and kind of handling pressure. …That’s a huge deal to be a part of all aspects. There wasn’t a player or a couple minutes that went by that she didn’t have an impact on what we had to do, what we were trying to do.”
Hemeon and Gilroy field hockey go hand-in-hand. When talking about one, the other is certain to come up.
The lessons, values and experience Hemeon gained during her stint with the Mustangs is something she still carries with her — even though she’s nearly 2,000 miles away. When asked about her success with the Hawkeyes, she has just one man to thank:
“(Mustangs coach) Adam Gemar taught me like everything I know. All my fundamental skills and everything are from him. In college I’ve just kind of tightened the screws here and made everything better. All my basic knowledge of hockey and tactics and fundamental skills come from Gilroy hockey for sure.”
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Hemeon has one more season left in Iowa and the Hawkeyes don’t want her to change a thing. As a junior captain, she was instrumental in leading the team both on the field and off — especially with her positive, optimistic attitude, Greisbaum said. “It’s kind of her last chance to put her stamp on the program,” the Iowa coach said. “She’s phenomenal and we’re super happy to have in our program. She’s doing great and let’s just keep it rolling.”
I do love coming home to California, but I love, love Iowa.”
Statistics
Games Played – 21; Goals – 13; Assists – 4; Shooting Percentage – .178
Awards
Division I All-American Third Team – NFHCA
West Region All-American First Team – NFHCA
All-Region First Team
Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 11)
All-Big Ten First Team
All-Big Ten Tournament Team
