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Field Hockey Preview

In only its fourth year as a varsity program at Westminster, the Wildcat Field Hockey team advanced to the sweet sixteen in 2017. With the best record in program history and a dedicated group of seniors, the cats seemed unstoppable last year. This coming fall, they are lacking multiple seniors from last year that were key components to the success they had. However, with a senior heavy team, the coaching staff and the team are convinced that they are ready for another year of success.

This year’s Varsity Field Hockey team has a roster containing fifteen seniors, six juniors, and one sophomore. Along with new players added to the club, two new coaches were added. Coach Adams is a student at Missouri Baptist who graduated from Westminster. She was a former captain for the team during her time, and she was a player who helped mold it from a new team into the team it is now. The other coach is Coach Taranhike, or Coach T as most players call her. Coach T played field hockey collegiately at Lindenwood University. Both of these coaches are looking to bring knowledge and experience as players to the team this year.

In this year’s lineup, three players in particular received metro league all conference awards in 2017. Morgan Sickels, a senior this year, received first team all conference while also being one of the leading scorers in the area. Sickels has been truly showing her talents at the forward position these past years on the varsity team. The two other athletes who received second team all conference are the Clement sisters, Sophie, a senior, and Grace, a sophomore. Sophie has defined herself as a midfielder who is fast and also has an explosive shot, while Grace is a quick defensive player who challenges any player who gets in her way.

Coming off of her 300th career win last year, Head Coach Schmer looks to build off of last year’s success with her new team. “We lost a lot of seniors and key players coming off last year, but we are confident that we are fully reloaded and ready for a repeat performance,” says Schmer. She also comments on the competitiveness of her schedule for the coming year, saying that “no opportunity is to be taken for granted, for even though we are playing powerhouse teams such as reigning state champions Villa as well as MICDS, I am confident in my girls that we will be able to put up a fight. We will take it one game at a time while staying confident against any time that stands in our way.”