KU Field Hockey team is “humble and hungry” after last season’s national championship
By Tommy Scuderi
Last season, the KU field hockey team knocked off East Stroudsburg University 2-1 to become the first program in school history to win an NCAA national championship.
“It’s surreal – it still hasn’t hit us yet. Sometimes we will look at each other and think, yeah, we did that, didn’t we?” said Coach Marci Scheuing, head coach of KU Field Hockey.
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Jessica Traynor, Mia Kepler, Sarah Gatehouse, Juliana Donato, and Greenleigh McGhee were just a few of the players Coach Scheuing mentioned as standouts throughout 2023 and in the title game.
“When I played at Mansfield, we played here and lost in overtime, and I said to my teammates ‘I’m going to be the head coach here someday,’” Coach Scheuing said about her journey to KU. “I knew I wanted to coach, and I knew I wanted to be in Division II in the PSAC, and I’m from Berks County. This was always the dream job.”
Coach Scheuing spent time coaching at Cedar Crest College and Bryn Mawr before taking the job at KU, turning all three of those programs around.
But sports are not about the past, they’re about the future, and Coach Scheuing is aware of the road ahead.
“Humble and hungry” were the words adopted as the Golden Bears’ motto this season. Scheuing is confident the squad can return to the national championship game.
“We want to be able to finish more,” said Scheuing when asked how they can improve from last year. KU scored 64 goals last season while only letting in 11. Coach Scheuing believes they could win games by wider margins than they did in 2023.
When talking about players to watch in 2024, Coach Scheuing remarked on the depth of KU’s roster, stating, “I could tell you ten different names right now, we are so deep, and I think that’s why we are going to be as good as we are.”
Juliana Donato and Sarah Gatehouse are two returning all-Americans named by Scheuing, along with All-Conference player Erin Gonzalez, Senior Megan Doyle, Sophomore Greenleigh McGehee, Junior Grace Harrold, Sophomore Jessica Traynor, Goalie Mia Kepler, Senior Danielle Panati, and transfers Olivia Vaccari, Emma Yeager, and Mia Simpson, all from Division I programs. Scheuing also named freshmen Marlee Fetrow and Marissa Rice.
“Our goal is to win a PSAC championship,” said Scheuing. “And then to win another national championship.”
All eyes are on the Golden Bears as they search for their second consecutive national title and first PSAC championship.
KU opened up the season at home on September 5th with a 4-0 victory over #5 Saint Anselm.