In sports, at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is winning. With that in mind, the behind-the-scenes preparation it takes to find victory is paramount. From coaching, to mindset, to training, Penn field hockey believes they have everything in place for an Ivy League title run.
“I think we've been painstakingly close to achieving our goal of creating a championship culture and winning championships at Penn,” coach Colleen Fink said. “And unfortunately, we have just fallen short.”
Coaching
Last season, the Red and Blue’s campaign ended with an agonizing 1-0 defeat against Harvard in the first round of the Ivy League tournament. After a 7-9 regular season finish, the Quakers nabbed the fourth seed in the postseason, earning them a matchup with the top-seeded Crimson. In the end, a lackluster offensive showing erased the Red and Blue's chance at an upset, causing Fink to reevaluate the state of the program.
“I'm realizing that maybe it's more of a time for some radical change,” Fink said. “When I came in many, many years ago, we had to make some radical changes to build our program to where it is now, and now maybe now is also the time for some of those additional radical type changes.”
As a coach and leader of the program, the pressure to succeed weighs heavily. Following the deflating loss to the Crimson last season, and with the added pressure of giving her current class of seniors a better chance at Ivy glory, Fink is looking towards a change of pace to finally get over the hump.
“We notched it up a level in terms of standards and vision for the program, both tactically, technically, and culturally,” she added. “The expectations for the team, peer to peer, have definitely escalated.”
Mindset
Passionate and determined, coach Fink’s eagerness is matched by her players. Empowered by her commitment to excellence, the senior leadership have put it upon themselves to ensure the team's preparations are up to snuff. With important seniors like forward/midfielder Allison Kuzyk leaving the program, newly appointed captains Meghan McGinley, Sophie Freedman, and Courtney Kenah plan on setting a new tone.
“This year's [captain] class plays a really big role on the team,” McGinley said. “Going out and making sure the entire team is really locked in and on the same page.”
The three captains each have their own approach towards leading the team, combining together to make a fearsome trio. Leaving nothing uncovered, the team finds strength in their differences.
“It’s nice that we have such different personalities because we balance each other out super well,” Kenah said. “I think that’s really nice for our teammates because they can find any one of us to connect with on different things, and on the field we’re all very hardworking and lead by example.”
Training
While the mental side of competition is key to success, it all means nothing without execution in practice and on the field. Each season, Penn opens up their competitive play against two of the best field hockey teams in the nation: North Carolina and Louisville. Fighting against the No. 2- and No. 7-ranked teams in the nation respectively to start the season isn’t an accident either. The Quakers understand that to be the best, you have to try and beat the best.
“It’s fun because, in preseason, we know that we are preparing to play the defending national champions [North Carolina],” Freedman said. “There’s no feeling in preseason that we can get to different principles later since we truly need to be at our team’s best immediately … leaving nothing up to chance and being as prepared as possible.”
Despite falling to both North Carolina and Louisville in tight contests, the team was able to sharpen iron with iron. Growing in confidence and capability, these losses help prepare the team for local and eventually Ivy League play.
As the season progresses, only time will tell if glory is in the cards for the Quakers; but no matter what happens, the team promises not to go down without a fight. Seeking a championship above all else, the Red and Blue plan to leave it all out on the field for one another in the 2024 campaign.
“We talk about why we play or ‘what’s our why,’” Kenah said. “Knowing each other's underlying motivations has been really powerful for our team — it's why we run that extra sprint, or extra long run that's thankless: for each other.”
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