Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546586
5 0 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M H annah Prince came to Penn State in January with the goal of build- ing a championship-caliber field hockey program. Part of that effort involves making sure her players aren't overly rever- ential toward the programs cur- rently at the top of the collegiate pecking order. "I don't care at all how many All-Americans, national team players, postseason appear- a n ce s, n a t i o n a l c h a m p i o n - ship games [other teams have amassed] — I don't care about any of that," Prince told Luke Brown Sports in August. "It's a new season. It's a clean slate. Eve ryo n e h a s a n ew tea m . There's not one team in the country that has the exact same ros te r. I t's a n a m a z i n g o p - portunity to es- tablish this new e ra . A s m u c h as I want to say we're writing a new chapter, my goal is to write a whole new book." If her previous stint at Saint Joseph's is any indication, it should be a page- turner. Prince, a Maine native and 2014 UMass graduate, guided the Hawks to Atlantic 10 Tournament titles in each of her four seasons with the program. Her first team went on to beat Wake For- est in the NCAA Tournament, earning the program's first victory in the na- tional tourney. Two years later, she had the Hawks in the NCAA championship game, marking the first time that a St. Joe's team in any sport played for a na- tional title. At Penn State, Prince inherited a program with a storied history but not e n o u g h re ce n t s u cce ss. U n d e r l o n g t i m e c o a c h Char Morett-Curtiss, the Nittany Li- ons won eight Big Ten regular-season championships and six league tourna- ment titles. They advanced to the NCAA semifinals six times, with two appear- ances in the championship game. But in three seasons under Morett-Curtiss' successor, Lisa Bervinchak Love, the Li- ons steadily declined. After a 7-10 finish last fall, athletics director Patrick Kraft announced Bervinchak Love's contract would not be renewed. This year's team was 3-2 heading into its Big Ten opener Sept. 17 against visit- ing Maryland. Both of the Nittany Li- ons' losses were by one goal to top-five opponents. They fell to No. 5 Virginia, 4-3 in overtime, in their opener Aug. 28, and they dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 4 Princeton on Sept. 13. The loss to the Tigers ended a three-match winning streak, during which PSU beat Lock Haven (8-0, Aug. 30), Vil- lanova (2-0, Sept. 4) and Dela- ware (2-1, Sept. 6). Among the standouts for Penn State so far has been junior forward Ella Gaitan, a Maryland transfer who was tied for fifth in the Big Ten with 4 goals and tied for seventh with 8 points. Soph- omore midfielder Joji Purdy and graduate midfielder Sienna Dunn were tied for 12th in the league with 7 points apiece. On the defensive end, junior goalkeeper Aby Deverka was tied for third in the league with 23 saves, having compiled a 1.39 goals-against average. Deverka was named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association's Defensive Player of the Week after making a season-high 9 saves against Delaware and 4 against Villanova. Bigger challenges await in the con- ference season, including a clash with defending national champion North- western in the regular-season finale Oct. 30 at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex. Prince told Luke Brown Sports her goal is to build a program that continues Penn State's long history of success. "We want to honor traditions of the past," she said. "I want the girls to be proud to speak their goals out loud, work harder than they thought imagin- able, and have the confidence to know that if we can play as a collective group and have that belief and that mindset, we can beat anyone." ■ TURNING THE PAGE The Penn State field hockey program brings a bold approach to its new coaching era M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS Hannah Prince arrived at Penn State in January after guiding Saint Joseph's to Atlantic 10 titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in all four of her seasons with the Hawks. PHOTO BY REESE HILLS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS