As their final season closed out with a 0-4 loss to Cornell University on the road Sunday, field hockey seniors looked back at their Lehigh careers with nostalgia, pride and few regrets.
Senior midfielder Jackie Renda said her class played a key role in team leadership after the full coaching staff change during her sophomore season brought in coach Caitlin Dallmeyer.
Renda said the team experienced a culture shift, with Dallmeyer looking to Renda’s class to initiate that shift. Renda said the team also wanted to become a more successful and hardworking team.
In 2014, the year before the coaching change, Lehigh field hockey finished its season with a 4-14 record. Gradually the team improved its record, winning five games in 2015 with 13 losses and then winning six games in 2016 with 11 losses. Renda said this difference may seem negligible, but it contributes to a larger team goal.
“Looking at the strides we made, even though it doesn’t seem like a lot, we’re a lot better than we have been in the past,” Renda said. “There’s been an upward trend the past three years, and knowing that we were a part of that is really one of the most gratifying feelings.”
The team was not able to continue its progression of wins from season to season, posting a final record of 5-13 with a Patriot League record of 2-4 this year.
Senior defender Julia Washburn said hard work and team progress made up for any downfalls the team had this year.
“All of the stuff happening behind the scenes makes up for any regrets we may have, like not making it to the Patriot League Tournament this season or winning as many games as we wanted to,” Washburn said. “We’re building a much stronger foundation.”
Renda agreed, giving credit to the coaching staff for all the improvements made to the team’s foundation, starting with a new winning mentality.
Renda said when she was a freshman, the team didn’t have the motivation it needed to improve. She said now every focus point in practices and games contributes to the team’s growth, and even when the Mountain Hawks lose, they’re able to learn and refocus.
After giving so much to the program, leaving the Lehigh field hockey program is a sad thought for the senior class, especially for senior midfielder Laura Yuh who was not able to participate this season due to an injury.
“It’s weird that something that’s been so regular for the past four years is just going to be over, and I’m going to miss having the team in my life 24/7, but I am excited for the next chapter in my life,” Yuh said.
The next chapter for Yuh is a consulting job in Washington, D.C. If not for the job offer, Yuh said she would have considered redshirting this season to play next year.
As for Washburn and Renda, their bond will continue beyond Lehigh as both accepted job offers from the same parent company and will be working in the same building.
“We knew each other before we came (to Lehigh), so we’ve been friends for quite some time,” Renda said. “We’ve developed a really great relationship, and we’re excited to continue it.”
Although the senior class expressed sadness about leaving, the group is confident the younger members of the team will step up and maintain the upward progression of Lehigh field hockey.
Washburn said she’s hopeful they will continue the team’s “trajectory.”
“Even though we have taught the underclassmen a lot about leadership and what it means to work hard, I know I learned a lot from them as well,” Renda said. “It’s easy as a senior to disregard making relationships with freshmen, but I think we all did a really good job making those connections.”
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