BTN.com staff, October 29, 2011

(BigTen.org) PARK RIDGE, Ill. - After winning the Big Ten Championship on Friday, Michigan earned the No. 1 seed and an automatic spot in the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Field Hockey Tournament. The tournament will be held on the Penn State campus in State College, Pa. with opening-round matchups played on Thursday, semifinals on Friday and the championship game on Sunday. The tournament winner will earn the Big Ten?s automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.

2011 Field Hockey BracketThe Wolverines won their last five conference games, going 5-1 in the Big Ten. The title marks Michigan?s second consecutive Big Ten Championship and eighth overall.

Ohio State earned the No. 2 seed in the tournament, ending the season with a 3-1 victory over Northwestern on Friday to finish with a 4-2 conference record. The Buckeyes will face No. 7 Michigan State at approximately 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday in the tournament?s second game.

Penn State concluded its conference season with a 4-1 win over Michigan State, earning the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Nittany Lions finished 4-2 in conference play. Penn State will face No. 6 Northwestern at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET in Thursday?s final game.

Iowa earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament and will face No. 5 seed Indiana in the tournament?s opening game at 10 a.m. ET on Thursday. The two teams faced off on Oct. 15, with the Hawkeyes recording a 4-2 victory.

The top-seeded Wolverines will face the winner of the matchup between Iowa and Indiana at 10 a.m. ET on Friday. The second semifinal will pit the winner of the Ohio State-Michigan State and Penn State-Northwestern games at approximately Noon ET. The tournament championship game will be held at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday. The semifinals and final will be televised live by BTN.