This season the field hockey team welcomed back an experienced group of mostly upperclassmen. But with a large class of recruits, the Bombers received a spark from a youthful group of rookies.

“The freshmen this year are great, and they really gel with our field hockey family,” junior forward Katherine Brown said. “We’re still figuring out who works best where, but that will fall into place in time.”

Freshman midfielder Tracy Rivas, one of the team’s nine freshmen, said she knew throughout high school that she wanted to play field hockey in college. Her father Nelson Rivas, a Cornell University alumnus, had always encouraged her to keep an eye on Ithaca College. Rivas said she had always been attracted to the town of Ithaca and the college’s field hockey program.

“It never came across my mind to not play field hockey in college,” Rivas said. “I really didn’t even have to think about it.”

Rivas said as a senior captain on her East Meadow High School team in East Meadow, N.Y., it was a tough transition to play for a new team.

“It was nerve-racking at first because you’re stepping into a completely different world,” Rivas said. “I just didn’t want to be known as that typical freshman girl.”

Head Coach Tracey Houk said though the adjustment is sometimes difficult for freshmen, the team’s underclassmen have taken on the task of stepping up their game to the college level.

“Whatever we ask them to do they take on that role and work really hard at it,” Houk said. “They’ve been a big part of our team, whether it’s starting or filling in for people at different positions.”

Freshman midfielder Abbey Lind said the transition has been difficult, but the support of her team has helped her work out the kinks.

“The play itself has been the same, but everybody around you is much better,” Lind said. “All the upperclassmen have been really nice and easy to get along with, so it’s made everything a lot easier.”

Freshmen on the team, such as Rivas and Lind, have done a solid job filling in for graduates and injured players. Lind has played in place of senior forward Caitlin Harte, who broke her collarbone in the beginning of the season. Lind has started in all but one game, posting two goals and one assist on the season.

Rivas has been a key element to the South Hill squad’s intensity and heart on the field. She’s played in each of the team’s eight games, starting in four. She has scored one goal and assisted two others for a total of four points.

Though the Blue and Gold have had a tough start, with a 2–7 overall record so far this season, they are looking to turn their play around in the next few games.

Recalling the first time she stepped on Yavits Field, Rivas said she remembers why she and the South Hill squad continue to play hard, despite rough patches throughout the season.

“You don’t actually get to step on the game field until the first home game of the season, so it’s a big deal when you finally do,” Rivas said. “We just have to remember what that felt like and turn Bomber field hockey around.”

 

Box Score - Wilkes vs Ithaca (10/07/09 at Ithaca, N.Y.)