There isn’t a team that plays in The Convo or Peden Stadium that has won four Mid-American Conference championships in the past six years and can boast both the 2011 Mid-American Conference coach and player of the year.
Ohio University’s field hockey team, though much less ballyhooed than their football and basketball counterparts, has grown to be a mid-major power in one of the more fast-paced, high-scoring sports in collegiate athletics.
“It is one of those sports where the game can change very quickly,” head coach Neil Macmillan said. “If the team is dominant enough, you’ll see a lot of goals, which we were fortunate enough to do last season.”
The Bobcats finished the season with a 19-5 mark, including a 9-1 record against conference opponents. They had ten more wins than the team with the next-best record in the MAC, which was Central Michigan at 9-11.
This historic season also included two victories against top-10 opponents Ohio State and American University, who were ranked sixth and eighth, respectively. Ohio also earned its third NCAA tournament appearance in school history, winning the play-in game against Lafayette.
“We really rolled through the MAC season and the tournament was a fantastic experience for all of us,” Macmillan said. “To get to the NCAA Tournament was a tremendous achievement and it is something we hope to build upon for next season.”
After their first-round tournament exit against North Carolina, the squad added assistant coach Pam Spuehler. She was a three-time All-American in her playing days with Boston University and was a member of the 2011 USA National Field Hockey Team.
“Pam comes from a very, very good college program and has exceptional college experience,” Macmillan said. “She really adds a great amount of character and personality to the team that should help us develop next season and beyond.”
The Bobcats only lost three players from their 2011 squad. Losing players such as third team All-American Louzeth Schutte will be an adjustment for the team.
“It’ll be interesting how we manage without them,” Macmillan said. “At the same time, we have players who have really been stepping up and improving over their time at Ohio and we’ve got some players coming in who have the potential to make an impact very early on in their careers.”
Entering the 2012 season, Macmillan expects more of the same and even some improvements.
“We got a taste of good success last year,” Macmillan said. “We want more of that this upcoming season.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
