Indiana University Athletics
Catching Up With IUFH Alumni: Hannah Lipton
5/22/2020 10:40:00 AM | Field Hockey
What have you been up to since playing?
Since playing, no matter where I've been, I've found ways to stayed involved in the field hockey community. After finishing grad school in the spring of 2014, I went directly into collegiate coaching at Sacred Heart University. In 2015, I moved to Columbus, OH and switched gears by working in the healthcare industry at The James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute – first as a clinical trials research coordinator, and then as an outreach coordinator.
Throughout that time, I stayed involved in club coaching in various ways which has led me to where I am today. I now serve as the Associate Director for Field Hockey Life (FHL), a field hockey club in Ohio that serves athletes ranging in age from U-10 to U-19. The owner/director of the club, Keli Smith Puzo, is one of Kayla Bashore's former teammates from the national team! This past fall, I filled in temporarily as the Acting Head Coach at Wittenberg University. I'm now back to coaching club with FHL full-time and feel so fortunate that field hockey is my full-time job!
Where are you at right now?
Right now, I live in Columbus, OH with my wife, Kate, and our cat, Sprout. I'm a Midwesterner through and through (grew up in Kentucky and went to college at Indiana), so it feels good to be in the Midwest!
What gives you encouragement and motivation during this time?
The athletes in our club inspire and motivate me constantly. From a social media tournament, to our virtual hockey trainings, to video updates of them training on their own at home, they have found ways to get creative and stay virtually connected with their teammates. Their passion for the game keeps me encouraged and motivated, and I can't wait to be back on the field with them in the future.
What is something you and your family are doing to pass the time?
Staring way too long at paint swatches! We are one year into home ownership and have been tackling some DIY projects around the house. I've also always shyed away from the kitchen, so I finally worked up the courage to start cooking and baking, and surprisingly, it hasn't been a complete disaster… yet!
What shows are you catching up on?
Right now, we're about halfway through The Last Dance and loving it. I've been enjoying watching sports documentaries during this time as a way to feel connected to sport while we are away from competition. If you're looking for a field hockey documentary, check out Lucha: Playing the Impossible on Netflix!
What advice do you give to your fellow Hoosiers during this time?
Stay connected! A conversation with a teammate, friend, and/or family member can really brighten your day.
One lesson being an Indiana Field Hockey student-athlete taught you?
Balancing academics and athletics at Indiana taught me the importance of setting aside the time to accomplish certain tasks and the importance of creating an environment around you where you will thrive.
Favorite memory from being part of the Indiana Field Hockey team?
It's hard to pick just one! I think it's a summary of all the small moments – early morning summer workouts and the naps that followed, blasting Florence + the Machine on the way to spring workouts, dinners at training tables, the environment in the locker room prior to games. All those small moments are the moments that I think about and miss the most. If I had to pick a favorite on-field memory, I would say our win in the first round game of the Big Ten Tournament in 2012. We played Northwestern at Iowa, and not only got the result we wanted, but had the performance we wanted to have as well!
Favorite and least favorite drill that you would have to do in practice?
My favorite game at practice was 4v4v4. Us backs love an opportunity to score some goals! I also loved any game that caused chaos from a defensive organization standpoint. I loved the discussions and problem-solving that happened within the backfield and midfield as a result.
As for my least favorite drill, I'm kicking myself a bit as I say this. As a coach, I find it to be super valuable and important to integrate as a key concept to the game, and is something that I have used multiple times with my own athletes. But, as a player, I'd have to say the pass & get ahead warm-up. It's essentially a 2v1 that starts with a v-pull. The ball-carrier then passes the ball to their teammate, and leads ahead of the ball to create separation from the defender and receive the ball back to score in an endzone. So, so important and so worth it, but as a player at the time, I think I focused too much on how tiring it was!
One thing your current self would tell your student-athlete self?
Play as much as you can! Whether it's organizing pick-up with your teammates in the summer, working on something prior to practice, or staying after just to hit around – sieze every opportunity you get to play. There are so many resources and opportunities at your fingertips during your college years.
A lesson that being an IU field hockey player taught you
How to come together and work toward a common goal. Our team was so different from one another, and that's what made it so great. We had different personalities, different life experiences, and came from different backgrounds. Those differences totally enriched our experience playing together and striving to compete as unit.
Part you miss most?
The daily grind! Practices, workouts, classes, games – doing all of those things alongside your best friends and teammates.
A piece of advice for current players?
I think the coaches are going to thank me for this one… Stay fit! It makes everything else easier and allows you to put your focus on the fun part – hockey. Stay over the summer if you can and push yourself in the summer workouts. It will have totally been worth it once preseason rolls around!
Since playing, no matter where I've been, I've found ways to stayed involved in the field hockey community. After finishing grad school in the spring of 2014, I went directly into collegiate coaching at Sacred Heart University. In 2015, I moved to Columbus, OH and switched gears by working in the healthcare industry at The James Cancer Hospital & Solove Research Institute – first as a clinical trials research coordinator, and then as an outreach coordinator.
Throughout that time, I stayed involved in club coaching in various ways which has led me to where I am today. I now serve as the Associate Director for Field Hockey Life (FHL), a field hockey club in Ohio that serves athletes ranging in age from U-10 to U-19. The owner/director of the club, Keli Smith Puzo, is one of Kayla Bashore's former teammates from the national team! This past fall, I filled in temporarily as the Acting Head Coach at Wittenberg University. I'm now back to coaching club with FHL full-time and feel so fortunate that field hockey is my full-time job!
Where are you at right now?
Right now, I live in Columbus, OH with my wife, Kate, and our cat, Sprout. I'm a Midwesterner through and through (grew up in Kentucky and went to college at Indiana), so it feels good to be in the Midwest!
What gives you encouragement and motivation during this time?
The athletes in our club inspire and motivate me constantly. From a social media tournament, to our virtual hockey trainings, to video updates of them training on their own at home, they have found ways to get creative and stay virtually connected with their teammates. Their passion for the game keeps me encouraged and motivated, and I can't wait to be back on the field with them in the future.
What is something you and your family are doing to pass the time?
Staring way too long at paint swatches! We are one year into home ownership and have been tackling some DIY projects around the house. I've also always shyed away from the kitchen, so I finally worked up the courage to start cooking and baking, and surprisingly, it hasn't been a complete disaster… yet!
What shows are you catching up on?
Right now, we're about halfway through The Last Dance and loving it. I've been enjoying watching sports documentaries during this time as a way to feel connected to sport while we are away from competition. If you're looking for a field hockey documentary, check out Lucha: Playing the Impossible on Netflix!
What advice do you give to your fellow Hoosiers during this time?
Stay connected! A conversation with a teammate, friend, and/or family member can really brighten your day.
One lesson being an Indiana Field Hockey student-athlete taught you?
Balancing academics and athletics at Indiana taught me the importance of setting aside the time to accomplish certain tasks and the importance of creating an environment around you where you will thrive.
Favorite memory from being part of the Indiana Field Hockey team?
It's hard to pick just one! I think it's a summary of all the small moments – early morning summer workouts and the naps that followed, blasting Florence + the Machine on the way to spring workouts, dinners at training tables, the environment in the locker room prior to games. All those small moments are the moments that I think about and miss the most. If I had to pick a favorite on-field memory, I would say our win in the first round game of the Big Ten Tournament in 2012. We played Northwestern at Iowa, and not only got the result we wanted, but had the performance we wanted to have as well!
Favorite and least favorite drill that you would have to do in practice?
My favorite game at practice was 4v4v4. Us backs love an opportunity to score some goals! I also loved any game that caused chaos from a defensive organization standpoint. I loved the discussions and problem-solving that happened within the backfield and midfield as a result.
As for my least favorite drill, I'm kicking myself a bit as I say this. As a coach, I find it to be super valuable and important to integrate as a key concept to the game, and is something that I have used multiple times with my own athletes. But, as a player, I'd have to say the pass & get ahead warm-up. It's essentially a 2v1 that starts with a v-pull. The ball-carrier then passes the ball to their teammate, and leads ahead of the ball to create separation from the defender and receive the ball back to score in an endzone. So, so important and so worth it, but as a player at the time, I think I focused too much on how tiring it was!
One thing your current self would tell your student-athlete self?
Play as much as you can! Whether it's organizing pick-up with your teammates in the summer, working on something prior to practice, or staying after just to hit around – sieze every opportunity you get to play. There are so many resources and opportunities at your fingertips during your college years.
A lesson that being an IU field hockey player taught you
How to come together and work toward a common goal. Our team was so different from one another, and that's what made it so great. We had different personalities, different life experiences, and came from different backgrounds. Those differences totally enriched our experience playing together and striving to compete as unit.
Part you miss most?
The daily grind! Practices, workouts, classes, games – doing all of those things alongside your best friends and teammates.
A piece of advice for current players?
I think the coaches are going to thank me for this one… Stay fit! It makes everything else easier and allows you to put your focus on the fun part – hockey. Stay over the summer if you can and push yourself in the summer workouts. It will have totally been worth it once preseason rolls around!
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