Indiana University Athletics
Big Ten Tournament Diary - Rachel Telian
11/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 2, 2006
As the Hoosiers begin their quest for a Big Ten title, senior midfielder Rachel Telian sat down with IUHOOSIERS.com to share part of her journey.
Words can't even express how excited I am for the Big Ten Tournament. I feel better than I ever have in four years going into it, both personally and as a team. Coming off a big win last weekend against Penn State, I hope we can carry that momentum with us through this tournament. Being a senior, it hits you that this is such a great opportunity and experience.
I am so excited that the Big Ten Tournament is in my hometown (Ann Arbor, Mich.). It's kind of a funny way to finish things off. I grew up watching Michigan play field hockey, and I never thought I would be playing on Ocker Field in one of those games I grew up watching. I grew up watching this and now, I am playing in it, and it's kind of ironic. It's exciting to be here and know that our team is one of the top teams in the conference.
I have a lot of family and friends coming to watch. My bother and his wife, all the women I work with when I am home, friends that I have at Michigan, my high school coaches and a lot of good high school friends are all coming to support me. It really means a lot for all of them to come see me in this tournament my senior year.
We are having the team dinner at my house on Friday night. It's great to have a home-cooked meal, and I know my parents enjoy having the team over and cooking for all of us. It's nice to relax and just hang out together. Hopefully, we will have much to celebrate.
We have Michigan State tomorrow in the tournament's first game. We need to take things one game at a time. I am really glad we drew Michigan State, because we have some things to prove. They are a good team, and we will need to play hard for all 70 minutes to get the win. We are taking it one game at a time and taking care of business bit-by-bit.
