Video Blog: Coach Kathleen Wiler on the upcoming MAC Championship hosted by Kent State

In today's video blog, head coach Kathleen Wiler looks at a hard-fought battle at No. 8 Northwestern and using that as a springboard into this weekend's Mid-American Conference Championship tournament hosted by Kent State on Friday and Saturday.

Video Blog: Coach Kathleen Wiler on a big win at Miami and celebrating the seniors at home

In the first of our video blogs with Kent State Field Hockey's coaches and players, head coach Kathleen Wiler looks back at the team's big win at Miami University over the weekend, including a spectacular highlight of senior Missy Ramsey on a game-changing play.

Wiler also looks ahead to celebrating a big senior class during a home weekend that sees the Flashes host Ball State at noon on Saturday and Longwood at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Players buying in and accepting roles as team looks for first home win

By Kathleen Wiler

Head Coach

This is a big weekend for us as we return home on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. to face Ohio University and then go on the road the next day to play at Ohio State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

We play Ohio State every year alternating between Kent and Columbus each year. We have a really good relationship with Buckeyes coach Anne Wilkinson, so we always make this game happen. Anne and I are both from the Philadelphia area and we have known each other for a very long time. She coached two of my high school teammates. 

We just go way back, so I trust her a great deal. We try to help each other as much as we can. She’ll call me and ask what we did against a particular team that they are about to play. I’ll do the same with her. Those kinds of relationships are nice to have.

With Ohio University on Saturday, as always, every time you play a conference opponent it is just a dog fight. There is really no way we can ever assume a “W”.  We have been working all week to prepare for both teams, but especially for Ohio. Every MAC game is a rivalry.

This team is also really in need of having a good performance at home. We haven’t won a game yet at home even though we have been playing very well. I’m pleased with this group. They are working hard. They are having fun. They are very talented. I would say we may be the most athletic team in the MAC. We just haven’t won yet at home.

Getting that first win at home would do so much for our confidence.

We have been talking quite a bit with this team about playing in confidence. It is a veteran group, but I think they just want it so badly that sometimes they freak out a bit. We have been talking about that and channeling that hunger into not anxiety, but confidence.

One player who is playing with more and more confidence is senior Missy Ramsey. She had been playing up front, but I dropped her back to the backfield. Since then she has been playing great. She has a great tackle, and she just isn’t thinking too much. I think she really liked playing up front in the striker line, but I just talked to her and said I needed her to do this. She said, “whatever you need coach, you got it.”

She just keeps smiling, and I couldn’t be happier with that. 

That’s a key for us right now. Everyone is buying in, accepting their roles and doing their part for the betterment of the team.

After the game on Saturday we will have a team meal before leaving for Columbus. The team meal will be cooked by Caroline Corthouts’ mother at Caroline’s house. Her mom and dad live in Belgium and they are here for 10 days. Her mom said she would really like to cook a meal for us while she is here, so we are really looking forward to it. 

Field Hockey Helps Raise $3,000 for Team Victoria

This past weekend, our team took part in a clinic at Ohio State to help raise money for Team Victoria.  Victoria is a 14 year-old from New Albany, Ohio, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor this past September. She helped her U14 team place third in the top bracket at Disney's Junior Field Hockey Showcase recently.

On Saturday, we played a scrimmage with Ohio State, helped with a U14 clinic, scrimmaged fellow MAC contender Miami, then helped with a U16 clinic.  After Ohio State and Miami played each other, we ended the day with a U18 clinic.

A minimum donation of $20 was required to participate in the clinics with all proceeds going to Team Victoria.  We are happy to announce that Ohio State shared that together we raised $3,000 for this great cause.

For more information and ways you can help Team Victoria, you can visit her Facebook page or Website.

Victoria with all three head coaches.

Victoria with some of our team members.

All three teams pose with Victoria.

Incoming Class: Integrating into the Residence Hall Life

Spring season is now underway which means before we know it, our incoming class will be coming to campus to prepare for our regular season this fall.  The thought of living in residence halls with new people may seem daunting to freshman student-athletes, so we wanted to share some tips from Residence Hall Director for Allyn and Clark Halls, Beth Chambers, on how to make the transition easier:

1.        One of the biggest complaints we hear from student-athletes in the hall is that they don’t know anyone who is not an athlete. We understand that you spend large chunks of time with your teammates, but don’t get into a habit where these are the only people you see. Take time to interact with people who are not on your team and who are not student-athletes.

2.       Attend events on your floor and in your residence hall. This means taking time to come to floor meetings, floor dinners, hall programs, and other activities. These are opportunities to learn about the people who live around you and help them get to know you. You can make a great set of friends this way and I would guess that some of these folks will be more likely to want to take the time to come to cheer you on in your sport if you have taken time to make connections with them outside of sports.

3.       Get to know your Resident Assistant (RA) – every floor has a student staff member who lives on the floor and whose job is to help students make connections on the floor and within the University. This is a person who is trained to be able to help guide you toward campus resources and who wants to help you get involved with the community on the floor. If there is some kind of activity you would enjoy doing with others on your floor, tell your RA – they would be glad to hear ideas from you!

4.      Get to know your Residence Hall Director and Assistant Residence Hall Director. We are professional staff members in the University who also want to help you get connected to what you need! Our offices are usually located somewhere on the first floors of halls and our office hours are posted there as well.

5.       Read the Hallways Handbook so you are familiar with the rules of living in the hall, especially related to guests, noise (courtesy and quiet hours), decorating your room, key use, alcohol use, etc. It is helpful to know what the rules are so you can abide by them – and be sure to ask questions if something does not make sense.

6.       There are staff members here to help you make connections in the hall and in the University, but every person still needs to make an effort to get started, and don’t be afraid to speak up if you need some help!

Thank you to Beth for the advice.  And to our incoming class, we can't wait for you to join us!

New Locker Rooms Ready For Move In

We are very excited that the addition at the Kent State field house is complete and we are ready to move in to our new locker rooms!  Here's a look at our new "home" before we officially move in.