Women of
the Halls of Fame
Marcia Anne Pankratz
Female Field Hockey Player
Born: October 1, 1964
Birthplace: Wakefield, Massachusetts
Position: Forward
Year Inducted: 2004
Marcia Anne Pankratz was born on October 1, 1964 in Wakefield, Massachussetts. She attended Wakefield High School then went on to the University of Iowa, where she played forward for the Lady Hawkeyes from 1982 to 1985. During her career at Iowa, she won the school’s Female Athlete of the Year award and was twice selected as an All-American. In 1984, she was chosen for the NCAA All-Tournament team and later for the Big Ten All-Decade Team. She also won the Big Ten Medal of Honor during her 1985-86 season.
In 1985, Pankratz began to play for Team USA, which she was vice-captain of for the next 11 years. She helped lead her team in the 1988 and 1996 Olympics, and was the team’s leading scorer in 1996. Pankratz also played for the United States in the World Cup games in 1986 and 1994. In the 1994 games, Pankratz helped her team earn the third place position by socring the winning goal in their game against the Netherlands. Pankratz participated in the Pan Am Games in 1991, where her team came in third, and again in 1995, where they came in second. Later in 1995, Pankratz competed for the Champions trophy, and earned a bronze medal. By the time she retired, Pankratz had taken part in 110 international competitions.
Pankratz was inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame on June 12, 2004. After retiring as a player, she coached at the University of Michigan until 2005. She currently spends her time as a motivational speaker. Pankratz has established a consulting group called “4 Goals,” aims to inspire and educate coaches and players at both the high school and college level. In particular, she hopes to help field hockey players learn how to deal with the recruitment process.