• US National Indoor Squad Team (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)
• Second-Team Mideast Region All-American (201, 2012)
• First-Team All-Ivy (2012)
• Second-Team All-Ivy (2011, 2013)
• Ivy League co-Rookie of the Year (2010)
• Honorable Mention All-Ivy (2010)
At Cornell
Career: One of the most prolific scorers in Big Red history, Balleza was just the fifth player in Cornell history to earn four All-Ivy selections, joining Emily Robb (1995-99), Belen Martinez (2005-08), Catie DeStio (2007-10) and Kate Thompson (2007-10). The 2010 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Balleza was a second-team selection in 2011 and 2013 and was a first-team honoree in 2012. While her offensive numbers dipped during her senior year due to a position change, she still led the team and ranked first in the Ivy League with nine assists. Balleza also added four goals to finish the season with 17 points. She finished her career ranked fourth overall in Cornell history for both career points (91) and career assists (21), while ranking third overall in career goals (35).
Junior (2012): Balleza was named to the Mideast Region All-American second-team and was a first-team All-Ivy selection following a junior season in which she tied the school mark for goals in a single season (14) and placed second overall for points in a single season (35). Balleza, the team’s offensive MVP for the second straight season, ranked first on the team, second in the Ivy League and 15th nationally in points per game (2.0), while her 0.82 goals per game placed 16th nationally. Balleza was named Ivy League Player of the Week after scoring two goals with three assists in wins over Colgate and Georgetown. She scored in six of the team's final seven games and had a hat trick in a win over Penn.
Sophomore (2011): Balleza was named second-team All-Ivy and was awarded the team’s offensive Co-MVP award after playing nearly every minute of the season, with the exception of one game, which she missed due to an injury. A dangerous scoring threat, she led Cornell with seven goals and 18 points to go along with four assists. Balleza's seven goals came on just 27 shots and of her 27 shots, she put 19 on goal (.704). Balleza registered the game winner against St. Francis (Pa.) and assisted on the game winners against Villanova, Lock Haven and Brown.
Freshman (2010): Balleza had one of the most successful rookie campaigns in Cornell field hockey program history. She was named the Ivy League’s co-Rookie of the Year and was an honorable mention All-Ivy selection. She was the Big Red’s first Rookie of the Year recipient since Cari Hills ’98 took home the honor in 1994. Balleza finished the season ranking second on the team and ninth in the conference with 10 goals. Her 10 goals ranked her third all-time among Cornell’s freshmen for goals in a season and came on just 26 shots (.385) and of those 26 shots, 21 were on goal (.808). Balleza was second on the team with 21 points, registering 11 points in Ivy League action. She posted three game-winning goals on the season, including a crucial tally in a 1-0 victory over Brown. An extremely well-rounded player, Balleza also proved to be a talented defender, served as the inserter for the offensive penalty corner unit and converted both of the Big Red’s penalty strokes on the season. Following the year, she was awarded the team’s Class of ’91 Cup, awarded by the senior class to the freshman with the most promising future.
At Severna Park School
Balleza lettered three times at Severna Park School where she helped her team to three straight 4A state championships and as a senior captain, she earned Regional All-American accolades. During her final two seasons, she was named first-team all-county, first-team all-state, Washington Post first-team all-met and Baltimore Sun first-team all-met. Balleza has been a member of the US Women’s Indoor National team since 2009 and she has participated in three National Futures Tournaments. She also played tennis and ran track for two years at Severna Park.
Personal
Hannah Elizabeth Balleza is the daughter of Sito and Beth Balleza and she has one older brother and a younger brother and sister. She is enrolled in the School of Hotel Administration.
