The Penn field hockey team has played 11 games this season so far -- and sophomore Nicole Levi has started in every one of them.
Red and Blue devotees at field hockey games have grown accustomed to hearing the defender's name in the starting eleven announced at the beginning of each match.
No one would guess that just last year, as a freshman, Levi was not once on the field for the starting whistle. In fact, she wasn't on the field much at all.
Throughout the entire 2004 fall season, Levi only played in one game. She made her career debut against Temple last October.
But that was the first and the last time she saw any action all season.
"I played in one game and very little for that game, actually," said Levi, who started her career at Penn as a midfielder.
"I didn't really have much of a role on the team last year. It was pretty much a typical freshman role. I didn't even really travel much with the team. It was a rough year."
Levi watched from the sidelines as her team clinched a share of the Ivy League title. Though a proud member of an Ivy League champion, she hoped for a more active role in the team in the following years.
As the ice of winter thawed and warmer weather crept over Penn's campus, the Quakers prepared for spring play. Levi and teammates eased back into competition by spending a few hours outside of practice twice a week hitting the ball around Franklin Field.
"Last year I was getting really frustrated with field hockey, so a couple of other freshmen and I would hit the ball around and play around just for fun and the love of the sport," Levi said. "It really helped a lot, even outside of practice time, just to play for fun."
Levi brought the joy of these informal, pick-up style sessions to team practices. With newfound spirit and energy, she worked to improve her game and find a place in a team setting out to defend its Ivy title.
"At practice we worked in small groups a lot with coach," Levi said. "The personal attention I got there really helped me target what I needed to improve to get an active role in the team."
The spring competition provided an opportunity for the improvement that Levi needed. She spent the summer working as a counselor at field hockey camps, as well as following the basic fitness training assigned by the Penn coaches. In the fall she returned to Penn as a sophomore looking to establish herself in a more integral role on the team.
When Penn opened their 2005 season at Rutgers, coach Val Cloud found the missing piece of her starting 11 in Levi as starting right midfielder. By the end of the 4-0 Quaker victory, the sophomore had transitioned seamlessly from a member of the bench to a member of the starting lineup.
"Watching her play, you would never guess this is her first year starting," co-captain Lea Salese said.
"It was a really pleasant surprise. I didn't think I had a set role at all," Levi said. She added that the position "was pretty much for anyone to take, and it just worked out really well for me."
Teammates have noticed a difference in Levi since last fall; she has gained more and more confidence with each minute of playing time.
"I feel like her confidence has gotten so much better, and that was probably her biggest downfall, if you can even call it that," Salese said. "She has always been a hard worker. She has so much natural talent and natural ability."
Though Cloud has since moved the sophomore from midfield to defense, one thing is for certain -- Levi has earned a starting spot on the team. Her position has changed, but she has still started every game since.
Knee-deep in conference play, the Quakers have yet to face Ivy League competitors Columbia, Yale, Brown and Princeton. Levi understands that the season is far from over. So far, though, she has enjoyed the new role that she earned through hard work and determination.
"Being an active player on the field changes your perspective of the team so much," Levi said.
"You realize how close everyone else is on and off field. ... Even off the field and outside field hockey everyone is so supportive of each other. Last year was similar but once you are an active part of the team people notice when you are having a bad day much more than when you were just a practice player," she said.
Like night and day - In her freshman season, Levi played in just one game -- a 4-0 win against Temple in October - This season, the defender has not only played in all 11 games for the Quakers, she has started every one of them
