Senior lead Field Hockey into contest against Ursinus

For a gifted, but disillusioned, group of young freshmen, the 1991 season was an experience that would leave a lasting impression. It was the year the Penn field hockey program hit rock bottom. Since the inception of Ivy League field hockey in 1979, the Quakers had never finished worse than third -- in 1991, they finished fifth. Nearly three years later, that same freshman class is the cornerstone of the two-time defending Ivy League champion and No. 18 Quakers, who will host Ursinus at 7:30 tonight at Franklin Field. Penn's remarkable turnaround is largely the handiwork of this year's senior class, a group of eight women who decided long ago second best just wasn't good enough. "When they came in as freshmen, we had a losing season," Penn coach Anne Sage said. "The general attitude was that they were going to turn this program around because they weren't happy with the work ethic they saw here." That year, only goalkeeper Suzy Pures, defender Rani Bajwa and midfielders Amy Pine and Lily Ma started. But every freshman made the traveling team and experienced the misery firsthand. Though it was a forgettable season, the Penn players all still remember. "We didn't feel very comfortable as freshmen because I don't think the upperclassmen were as devoted as we were," Pine said. "We all decided we wanted to take it a little bit more seriously, work out a little bit more and play in the off-season." As early as the first week of practice in 1991, the freshmen asserted their independence by defeating the varsity team in an intrasquad scrimmage. "From then on," Bajwa said, "we were the real leaders on the team. We were the ones who had the heart, and went out and really wanted to win." If there was a turning point in the program, it was the summer of 1992. Entering its sophomore season, the class of '95 made a concerted effort to work out individually and improve for the upcoming season. "Just having the background from freshman year with college coaches and playing on turf, we were able to practice what we had learned over the summer," defender Mandy Kauffman said. "When we came back, it was like a totally different team." Though Kauffman -- who has since been invited twice to the U.S. Olympic Hockey Festival -- joined the starting lineup, all was not roses from the outset. Penn lost its first game of the season 2-1 to Villanova. "We put in so much work in the offseason and thought we were going to be so good," Pine said. "Then we go out and lose our first game and we're all crushed. From that point on, we decided to take it up another notch." The next notch was good enough to earn them a share of the Ivy League championship in 1992. By their junior season, with the contribution of defenders Alicia Crawley and Jennifer Rickert, the Quakers had regained their position as a perennial top 20 team. Penn tore through the Ivies, going undefeated and capturing its second consecutive league title, as well as an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. During the last three years, Penn's record is an impressive 24-10-2. This season, the seniors, including fifth-year senior Melissa Sage, have matured into the leaders they desperately sought as freshmen. "In our senior class, there's not a single person who doesn't lead out on the field," Crawley said. "I give all of the credit in the world to [co-captains] Amy [Pine] and Mandy [Kauffman], but I wouldn't say they're the only people we can turn to for leadership qualities." The senior leadership transcends what happens on the turf at Franklin Field. The field hockey players are a close-knit group who live together, eat together, and drink together off the field as well. "Whether we win or lose, we all go out and say, 'Let's have a good time,' " Pine said. "When we have a party, all of the field hockey team comes together. We have all of the freshmen come so we get to know them and they get to know us. I think that's how we stay so close." The Quakers believe their friendship off the field has translated to success on the field. The Penn players have developed a truly unique game sense, built on confidence and respect, that is a rarity in sports. "Now we're at that level where we have enough confidence in one another to know that if we go for that interception and miss, someone will be there to pick up the slack for us," Kauffman said. Slack is a concept the Quaker seniors know little about. Whether it be during practice or in the weight room, the senior class as a whole has demonstrated a resolve and commitment Sage hasn't seen matched in her 23 years at Penn. "The key word for this group is intense," Sage said. "They've been demanding of themselves and they've been demanding of their teammates. It was their hard work and their team commitment that has brought two Ivy League championships to Penn." "We've taught the younger girls what to do and now it's expected of all of us," Pine said. "It's not optional anymore." The dedication of the senior class has had a monumental effect on the future of Penn field hockey. Not only has the class of '95 resurrected the current Quaker program, it has also, by example, laid the foundation for a future dynasty. "All you need is one strong class to start it off and it will continue," Crawley said. "When we leave, the network of leadership that we have built won't leave with us." Even if Penn captures its third consecutive Ivy League championship, that network will still be the class of 1995's greatest legacy.