Holiday, Jasinski, Kutcher to fill void left by Class of '08
By Cary Helfand
Senior tri-captains Brittany Holiday, Tess Jasinski and Marlee Kutcher certainly have big shoes to fill.
Last year's captains, Katie Pagos (LA '08) and Ileana Casellas-Katz (LA '08), guided the Jumbos to unprecedented success: a program best-tying 13 wins, the team's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and Tufts' first victory over Middlebury in 22 years. In addition to providing leadership, Casellas-Katz also powered the Jumbos offensively, setting school records in goals (18) and points (41).
But even without the formal title, Holiday, Jasinski and Kutcher have long been leaders in their own right.
"Last year they did a good job leading quietly and supporting the seniors," junior Michelle Kelly said. "I think they're just going to pick up from where the team was last year and keep moving us forward."
"It really shows in the way they play and how they are on the field and with their teammates in general," coach Tina McDavitt said. "They have a confidence about them. They're doing a really great job. They know what's expected, and they've been great leaders all along."
And while last year's team set the bar high, this year's captains are more than up to the challenge.
"To be as successful as last season and even more successful, I think the main thing is making it fun every day and working really hard," Holiday said. "Being dedicated, taking each practice one day at a time, focusing on fundamental things … I just hope to lead by example and just get everyone really excited and pushing each other during practice."
Holiday, Jasinski and Kutcher also have no shortage of experience: Holiday and Jasinski have been starting since day one, while Kutcher assumed the starting role in her sophomore year.
"Being a three- or four-year starter, I think, gives them a very good knowledge of the team dynamics and our team systems," junior Margi Scholtes said. "They've seen a lot of things that the girls are going through. Brittany is an [offensive player], Marlee is a [defender], and Tess is a midfielder, so they play all different positions on the field. They're on corner units, on stroking teams. They really represent the team to its fullest."
"Four years of starting experience is a great thing to have," Kelly said. "They've been in so many different situations, and even if they do come across a new one, they have that background and experience not to be frazzled by it and stay composed."
This year's tri-captains, in addition to the rest of the upperclassmen, will also be instrumental in continuing the transition to the 3-2-3-2 formation that McDavitt instituted prior to the beginning of last season. While the formation worked well for the Jumbos in its debut year, the team will be working to perfect it and help the freshmen adjust from the more conventional 3-3-3-1 pattern.
"Being familiar with [the new system] has been helpful in being able to get the team accustomed to it and feel comfortable playing with one another," Jasinski said. "I think that will help all three of our captains. We've had a lot of experience playing, and I think that's been able to translate into us being confident and leading by example both on and off the field."
And if the Jumbos' preseason play is any indication, the team may just be able to surpass the benchmarks they set last season. Tufts, ranked No. 16 in the nation in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association preseason poll, recently defeated Springfield College, which currently sits at No. 13.
"From what we've seen during the preseason, we're even better this year," Kutcher said. "It will take the same dedication and taking each game one step at a time, but I think everyone on the team really seems to have higher expectations for how we're going to do this season based on last year. It's awesome because we want to go further and do even better."
While repeating last year's success certainly seems possible early on, the Jumbos will need to work together and keep their play consistent, something they strongly believe they are capable of. The team will get its first test this Saturday when it takes on Wesleyan at home at Bello Field.
"We're coming together really well," Jasinski said. "We're connecting well on the field, making great passes and communication has been good. We're doing a great job of setting the bar high early in the season and challenging ourselves every day. We're excited and ready for our first game."
McDavitt builds program into a perennial winner
By Scott Janes
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.
