Buffington, Van Aalsum Named October Athletes of Month

Iowa linebacker Cam Buffington and field hockey midfielder Dionne van Aalsum were honored as the University of Iowa's October Student-Athletes of the Month.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Hockey

Buffington, Van Aalsum Named October Athletes of Month

The University of Iowa named linebacker Cam Buffington and midfielder Dionne van Aalsum its October Student-Athletes of the Month. Both athletes posted standout performances during October 2026.

Why it matters

The honors recognize individual production that shaped Iowa's results in October, including tackling leadership on defense and scoring output for the field hockey team. For Iowa City readers, the recognition highlights the local university's athletes at the start of the season's later stretch.

Buffington averaged 8.8 tackles per game in October, ranking second in the Big Ten and 29th nationally, while van Aalsum's six goals in October came at a national rate of 1.06 goals per game across the season. Neither the stub nor the extraction specifies how these rates compare against Iowa's prior-season baselines.

The players

Cam Buffington

Cam Buffington is a third-year Iowa linebacker who was named a midseason second-team All-American by The Athletic.

Dionne van Aalsum

Dionne van Aalsum is a fourth-year Iowa field hockey midfielder who has been among the team's leading scorers.

The details

Buffington, a third-year linebacker majoring in enterprise leadership, led the Hawkeyes with 32 tackles across four October games and was named a semifinalist for the Dick Butkus Award. Van Aalsum, a fourth-year midfielder, led Iowa field hockey to three October victories, scoring six goals including two game-winners and adding two assists.

October 2026: Buffington and van Aalsum earned the honors for their October performances.

Season Trajectory

The October recognitions arrive as Iowa's football and field hockey programs work through their fall schedules, with Buffington's national tackles ranking placing him among the country's leading defensive players at that point in the season. The honors add to a pattern of Iowa's monthly athlete recognition that spotlights performers across multiple sports rather than a single team.

Buffington's 8.8 tackles per game in October make him a notable option for fantasy and bracket-style defensive rankings in the Big Ten. Van Aalsum's team-high 14 points show her as a scoring option for field hockey followers tracking Iowa's offensive production.

The takeaway

Monthly athlete recognition at the University of Iowa gives Iowa City readers a consistent way to follow individual performances across sports. Tracking tackles and scoring totals over a full season reveals which athletes sustain production.