Month: February 2017

We all know of the athletic ability of the Lafayette Field Hockey team but they have proven themselves to be champions in the classroom as well. Sixteen of the the twenty three members of the team were named to the Patriot League Honor Roll for 2016. The Patriot League Honor Roll consists of student athletes who attain a 3.2 or higher GPA.

Here are the selections for the 2016 fall semester:

Katelyn Arnold senior Government and Law and Economics 4.0 from Coopersburg Pa.

Rachel Bird sophomore Economics 3.25 from North Vancouver B.C.

Ana Buzzerd Freshman Undeclared 3.33 from Haddonfield N.J.

Ellen Colbourne Junior Economics and International Affairs 3.23 New Westminster B.C.

Cameron Costello Freshman Biology 3.93 Doylestown,Pa.

Jen Delongis Freshman Government and Law 3.25 Hatfield Pa.

Sam DiMaio Freshman Psychology 3.23 Morristown, N.J.

Kaitlynn Ewing Junior Psychology 3.75 Springfield, Pa.

Aliza Furneaux Senior Civil Engineering 3.5 Factoryville ,Pa.

Rosa Jonckheer Freshman Mathematics 3.25 Naarden, Netherlands

Meg Lillis Junior Economics and Government and Law 3.5 Reading Pa.

Amanda Magadan Senior Psychology and Economics 3.57 Randolph N.J.

Sara Park Freshman Chemistry 3.58 Collegeville, Pa.

Adriana Pero Sophomore Neuroscience 3.75 Harleysville,Pa.

Rosa Shanks Junior History and Anthropology and Sociology 3.25 Glasgow, Scotland

Lisa van de Geest Freshman Undeclared 3.68 Oegstgeest, Netherlands

Not only are they doing well in various fields, there are no faux majors. They are all held to the same standards as any other student. Congratulations to all our STUDENT athletes!! Four weeks to our opening spring game!!

 

For the past several weeks training for Lafayette Field Hockey has consisted of strength and conditioning  and indoor games to break the monotony. Using the indoor facilities of Kirby Field house can be fun and different but the game is all about playing on the turf. The temperatures on the east coast are mild and the near 70 degree weather gave the team the perfect environment to return to the friendly confines of Rappolt Field.

The first spring competition is scheduled for March 26  with round robin games at Lafayette with Lehigh, Temple and Cornell. It is during that month of practice that the coaches will begin to reshape the existing team for next year. They will especially be looking at replacing seniors at midfield and goalie. The defense looks fairly solid and deep, but both goalies on the team have seen no action in real games. The spring will be an opportunity for both to get plenty of playing time and observation by the coaching staff.

The is no doubt we will see several rising sophomores in the midfield and a chance for juniors to shine as well. Although several players will be in new positions by the end of the spring, we should see the players come together as a team. As a fan, the goal for me is to see this team better than the sum of it’s parts.

According to Coach Stone the team is healthy and should be at its best during outdoor drills. Going outdoors is always a morale builder and should lead to intense practices.

I will try to attend some of the practices and certainly the spring games to see what our 2017 Leopards look like.

Meanwhile, recruiting goes on and I am hearing there will be at least one addition to the class announced in the fall, and perhaps one more. Spring signing is in April so we will have to wait to see what our incoming class looks like in whole.

 

While our current Leopards are hard at work toiling in their academic classes, and working with the strength and conditioning team, our coaches are deep into scouting for future team members. In recent years, the advent of showcasing tournaments during the winter have become a convenience for coaches to view young talent. For many programs, the recruiting class entering in 2017 is nearly complete however, now the recruiting effort  goes years into the future. I have heard of unsigned commitments extended even from high school freshmen in rare cases. Commitments for the incoming classes for 2018 and 19 is becoming more and more common. Lafayette is part of that process.

The february showcase, occurring in the warm climate of florida is sponsored by USA field hockey and features teams from clubs all around the country. Participating colleges fly down for the tournaments where they can get an early look at these young athletes. There is a representative from almost every Patriot League school at the February tournaments as well as the ACC, Big Ten, A-10, and as well as some division 2 and division 3 leagues.

Recruiting for foreign athletes occurs this spring, as most of those athletes are just now showing interest for the fall. So it becomes a balancing act for coaches as they may have partially filled spots for the coming fall in anticipation of seeing a recruit from overseas that might fill a need. As each potential athlete vies for a coveted spot on a fall team, there is a myriad of paperwork to be completed before she can play. This  includes the student visa applications after qualifying with TOFEL tests, and SAT type exams.

Many fans do not realize that the finished product in August is the result of 2-3 years effort in recruiting to insure the best of the best are wearing the Maroon and White this fall.

Although the school has not announced the fall schedule I can tease you by saying it will include a number of top 20 teams, including, I am led to believe, the reigning national champion. The schedule reflects Coach Stone’s faith in the skill of the team and the potential of the emerging freshmen class.

No doubt success comes with hard work as everyone else in the schedule is improving at the same time. It is less two month before the first spring games and I am looking forward to seeing how things are shaping up.