Samuel Casey
News Editor
For their final game of the season, the College’s field hock- ey team faced the 19th-ranked University of Lynchburg on a day which celebrated the three seniors on the team — Emma Hambright ’20, Grace O’Leary ’20 and Harriet Sudduth ’20. The Hornets jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first quarter and both teams were held scoreless until Lynchburg added another goal in the 39th minute. The Fight- ing Scots did not give up and narrowed the gap in the fourth quarter with a score from Cait- lyn O’Connor ’21, her eighth of the season, a team-high with an assist from Katie Agatucci ’22. Ultimately, this 3-1 score would stand as the Scots walk away from the season with a 5-12 record, a surely disappointing result following a North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC runner-up finish last year.
Several members of the team, namely the seniors, reflected on this past season and the four years they spent as Wooster stu- dent athletes.
“We had a lot of strong talent but unfortunately weren’t able to walk away with as many wins as we would’ve liked or deserved for how much time, energy and passion each player on this team put into this season,” Hambright said. “These past four years, however, have taught me that be- ing a part of team is more than the wins and losses you tally at the end of each season. It’s about being a part of something bigger than yourself and having fun playing a sport that you love with 16 or more of your best friends.”
Both O’Leary and Sudduth de- scribed some of the skills they learned because of field hockey, both on and off the field.
“It has helped me to develop as a stronger, more confident leader, as well as a more compas- sionate person,” O’Leary stated. “I especially think I learned how to be confrontational when nec- essary and how to let unimport- ant issues go.”
Sudduth added, “I have learned the joy of belonging to a team and everything that is wrapped up in that responsibility; learn- ing how to try and work towards a common goal (and be success- ful at it) is something I will al- ways [take away].”
Sydney Schuster ’21, one of three captains along with O’Leary and Sudduth, described how important the seniors’ lead- ership has been.
“It has been extremely impor- tant to me to work with Grace and Harriet. Grace is a natural- born leader who you can tell would give anything to better the team. Harriet is a support- ive and impactful woman for our team. Emma Hambright, too, was a major leader on our team this year and motivated a lot of people in ways that I could not,” Schuster said.
In summation of the season and advice she has for future members of the team, O’Leary stated, “We came in hoping to be conference champions and un- fortunately that wasn’t the case. However, this season showed me just how mentally strong our team is. Sure, we were dis- appointed that we had a losing record, but we continued to celebrate each other’s little successes. I think moving forward, my advice is to keep this positive energy.”
Sudduth also expressed her optimism and described what she hoped her legacy would be.
“I hope that I can leave a legacy of hard work and positivity. I truly believe that through passion and support when things get difficult is what will make a strong team successful.”
