Indiana University Athletics
Olympic Sport Corner: Field Hockey
7/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Varsity Club
July 28, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - After recording the best season in Indiana field hockey history and earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2005, head coach Amy Robertson, now in her seventh season, and the Hoosiers look to capitalize on last year's momentum and experience to make 2006 just as memorable.
GEARING UP FOR 2006
Despite the loss of six key contributors, IU returns a team with an abundance of experience, confidence and a drive to continue to elevate the program to more new heights. Led by first team NFHCA All-West Region selection Morgan Miller in the backfield and All-American forward Lydia Schrott on the attacking line, Indiana's second NCAA Tournament bid looks in reach for the 2006 squad.
"After what this group experienced in building this program and the success we had last year, this team is really hungry to continue that winning tradition," Robertson said. "There will be a challenge in the beginning to bring this group together with seven incoming freshmen and to really develop and mesh as a team. We want to develop a good structure right from the beginning and continue to build from last year. We have three brand new captains and it will be key for this team for them to develop into that leadership role."
NEW FACES
Indiana will welcome seven incoming freshmen to the roster in 2006. Haley Funk, Fenna Geuskens, Meg O'Connell, Brittney Hacken, Lucy Ireland, Elizabeth Schmidt and Alina Valenti will bring even more talent and experience to the already deep IU lineup.
"This is the best all-around field hockey class we have ever signed at Indiana," Robertson said. "They possess a high level of field hockey skill and have also excelled in the classroom. Some of these incoming players will immediately make an impact and will give us the depth that we will need for next season and beyond to continue to compete for a Big Ten Championship and pursue our ultimate goal of winning a national championship."
All seven freshmen come to Bloomington with a wealth of high school and club experience. Among the class are three NFHCA Regional All-Americans in O'Connell, Ireland and Schmidt.
ON THE MOVE
The Indiana field hockey team will move from Mellencamp Pavilion to a new outdoor field in 2007, IU Athletics Director Rick Greenspan announced.
The $1.5 million project, recently approved by Indiana University Board of Trustees, will be located east of IU's outdoor swimming pool and includes a field hockey field that features a state-of-the art synthetic playing surface and watering system and an adjacent soccer practice field.
Robertson believes that the new field will pay immediate dividends for her program. "The new field hockey field will be a state of the art synthetic surface coupled with the most efficient and complete watering system," Robertson said. "We are thrilled to see this project moving forward this year and we anticipate that this will help us greatly in attracting the nation's top recruits in field hockey."
NATIONAL IMPACT
Former Indiana standout Kayla Bashore became the first field hockey Hoosier to be named to the U.S. National Team. After playing with the team at the Qualifier Tournament in Rome, Italy, the Shoemakersville, Pa., product helped the red, white and blue to a bid to the 2006 World Cup in Madrid, Spain, Sept. 27-Oct. 8. IUHOOSIERS.com will follow the USA and Bashore's quest for a World Cup title.
CATCH THE ACTION
The Hoosiers will host eight home games in 2006, with the first against Central Michigan on Friday, Sept. 15. To get the complete schedule visit http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/sports/w-fieldh/sched/ind-w-fieldh-sched.html
