Field Hockey Preview | Field hockey team geared to stick to winning ways in 2008

    Like many of the engineers that scale the Hill, the field hockey team has learned an important lesson: building a good foundation is often the best way to create a strong and reliable finished product.
    While success has not entirely  eluded the Jumbos over the past decade, coach Tina McDavitt's arrival in June 2004 provided a warmly welcomed boost of coaching prowess.
    The squad has posted a 42-23 record in her four  years  at  the  helm, and despite an average 8-7 mark in 2005, the team has played exceptionally well of late, tallying an impressive 24-10 record over the past two seasons.
    Last year, McDavitt took her Jumbos all the way to a No. 15 national ranking by season's end and guided the team to its first NCAA tournament win in program history.
    The key to the Jumbos' recent success is due in part to a shifted recruiting focus that pinpoints high school juniors and seniors who lead their team on the field as well as in the classroom.
    "I am trying to find [Div. I] recruits who want to come to Tufts for more than just the field hockey," McDavitt said. "I want to find players who value their education as much as their athletics so that they will be able to perform well mentally on the field and contribute to our culture of success, as well as explore what Tufts has to offer academically."
    "I think that [McDavitt] looks for girls who obviously have great field hockey talent but who also are very smart and perform well in the classroom," junior forward Michelle Kelly said.
    And in a game as mental as field hockey, it's no wonder McDavitt looks for school-savvy players to give her team a competitive edge.
    "Smart players integrate much faster into the team's chemistry, and thus they are much more able to contribute quickly to the team's successes on the field," Kelly said.
    "[McDavitt] wants girls who are mentally ready to play field hockey in college," junior midfielder Margi Scholtes said. "Recruits who are capable of playing a sport well and functioning at that same level in the classroom will be naturally more apt to succeed on game day."
    During the recruiting process, McDavitt also places an emphasis on players who have won state championships or competed with well-respected high school programs.
    "I'm focused on players who come from winning programs because those players are built with a certain mentality that you need to win," she said. "The transition from high school to the college game is much easier for them and allows them to contribute faster for us."
    McDavitt came through once again with last year's freshman class, led by forward/midfielder Tamara Brown, who finished fourth on the team in total points in 2007 even though a torn ACL cut short her season, midfielder Jess Perkins and defender Amanda Roberts. The squad will count on the three of them for increased contributions during their sophomore years.
    "Those are three very smart players who were naturally ready and able to contribute to our team during their freshman year," Kelly said. "Jess and Amanda are solid defenders who use their smarts to have a great field vision. Tamara is more of an offensive player with an awesome sense for our offensive sets."   
    Part of the team's recent success is due to McDavitt's coaching style, which demands
hard work and focus to succeed, while also encouraging her players to have fun.
 "She wants us to always be serious on the field, yet she looks for girls who will contribute positively to the team's culture as a whole," Scholtes said. "If a girl will contribute more to the team's success through her teamwork skills and ability to be a part of the team's culture, then she might take that girl over a slightly more talented one."
    McDavitt's newest recruiting class, consisting of eight Jumbo freshmen, will get its first look at competition on Saturday when Tufts hosts the Wesleyan Cardinals in its season opener.