Francie Akins: "WCA Field hockey means exploring in the woods, pitch perfect sing alongs, and magic school bus vines. My favorite parts of field hockey were all the friendships I made with this awesome group of girls. I’ll always remember all the time we spent cracking dumb jokes on the bench and during practice (when I probably should have been working a little harder on improving my game, because let’s face it, I’m not the world’s greatest field hockey player). I feel so blessed to be a part of this team with such great friends and coach. Advice for future Wildcats: Even if you’re not the best player out there, just know that you can still contribute something unique to your team. Playing field hockey isn’t so much about the actual game as it is about being with a group of girls who will become some of your best friends and teach you what it means to be a team player. And also go to practice and do your running even if it seems too hot. You’ll be fine."

Lexi Berra: "Field hockey has meant so many different things to me throughout the years. It means going out of your comfort zone regardless of how scared or nervous you are about the outcome. It has meant being patient because improvement doesn't come overnight (especially when you are trying to prefect a reverse chip). But above all of those things field hockey to me has meant friendship and being part of something bigger than myself. This team has been a second family to me for the past few years and I know will continue to be once the season is over. All these girls are so kind and hilarious and unique, everyday at practice is a new adventure with them. They are what makes this program what it is and I will forever be grateful for the experience and love I have received being on this crazy team. My advice for future wildcats is, while winning and games are important, to enjoy the little things. Some of my fondest memories on this team have been made just messing around with each other at practice. Stay focused, but at the same time allow there be room for fun. "

Ally Drooger: "My very first day as a wildcat consisted of me starting field hockey. I didn’t know anyone on that first day of practice, but I soon found friends that would stick with me all four years. Field hockey has been an amazing experience and I am so blessed to have such incredible teammates. I am so thankful for the memories that this sport has brought to me and the coaches who have put in so much time and effort! I can’t wait for more senior experiences with these girls because it doesn’t stop here! Love you guys like crazy! Advice for future Wildcats: Cherish all of the moments high school brings you! They go by faster than you think!"

Jenna Galakatos: "Field Hockey was one of the first sports that I tried that I didn’t have any previous experience in. Me, being super competitive, It’s hard to play well when ya know you can’t play well. But tarting this sport taught me a lot about patience. I was and am blessed to have been taught by the best coaches from the very beginning and couldn’t have asked for better teammates to play the sport with. I’m so grateful for a group of girls who play so well together and loves on, laughs with each other every day. I will miss this team, these coaches, and this sport so much but couldn't have asked for a better season. Advice for future Wildcats: Try hard and have fun! If you slack off all season and you come to your very last game, you’re definitely going to wish you would have tried harder. Use your field hockey gifts to the best of your ability. But also have fun and make memories with your teammates! You’re going to misplaying these sports with these girls when you can’t anymore, so make the most of it now. (P.S. Peace, love, and Coopie)"

Madeline Kugler: "When I started WCA field hockey, I was a new freshman who knew no one and nothing about field hockey. Now, looking back, I am so grateful for the friendships I have made and the encouragement I have found through my coaches and teammates. I am especially thankful to be back this season and to be supported and loved by you all. This game has taught me to persevere, to glorify God, and to, occasionally, laugh at myself. And I have loved every second of it. Advice for future Wildcats: My advice for the future wildcats would be to take risks, to make mistakes, and to soak up the time they have with their team playing this game, because it really is fleeting. Run fast, work hard, honor God with the way you play. It will go by so fast, and I know I’m truly going to miss it. "

Ashley Peterman: "Field Hockey has seriously been the greatest thing, I love all the girls on the team so much and I look forward to practice every day just because I get to hang out with all these girls who I don’t always see during the day. I love how supportive we are on and off the field, and I love how we can be so crazy and silly at practice but also super intense for games. This season has been so fun (especially because we win a lot) and I’m going to miss it so much next year (but not the campus loop). Advice for future Wildcats: Have fun and soak up all of it because it will go by so fast! Get close with your teammates because honestly the best part of field hockey is just having a fun group of girls and going to random team dinners and having weird group texts, and definitely appreciate your coaches because they are THE BEST."

Dani Renaud: "Playing field hockey has been an amazing experience for me. I have grown so much as a player and as a person by being apart of this program. I have been surrounded by amazing coaches and teammates who endlessly encourage me to be the best that I can. The past four years on this team have been some of the best moments in my life. Some of my favorite memories have been spent with my teammates who are now some of my best friends. There’s something special about this team and I’m so honored to be on it. Some advice I’d give to the younger girls is that hard work really does pay off. Looking back on freshman year, I was terrible. I barely knew which side of the stick to use, I couldn’t even hit the ball, and I had no idea what a corner was. But four years later I look at not only myself but my team and see how much we have grown and it amazes me. Don’t take high school field hockey for granted. One day, very very soon, you will be standing at your own senior night and wonder where the time went. "

Lily Rohlfing: "When I was entering freshman year as a new student I knew a total of 5 people already at Westminster and one of those people was Haley Schmer. Haley told me to come out and try the field hockey camp to meet people and see if I liked playing. Coming into this camp I had never even picked up a stick. I started the first day playing with the wrong side of the stick and pushing people like I was used to doing in soccer but coach schmer was so eager to help me figure out what the heck I was supposed to be doing. Playing field hockey gave me a whole group of girls my freshman year to connect with at the start of highschool when I felt like I knew no one. The relationships that I have made on the this team over the years are relationships that I know will last a lifetime and I am forever grateful to Haley, Coach Schmer and all the rest of the Fhockers and coach kuhn and pottebaum for being such inspirations and above all amazing friends. My advice for future wildcats is so cliche but when seniors tell you to not take this time you have for granted it's so so true. I still feel like a freshman and I can't believe i will be graduating this year. The time and energy that your teachers and coaches pour into you is so valuable and you need to soak up every minute."

Haley Schmer: "Field hockey has been one of the greatest things I’ve been a part of during my time in high school. This team has come so far from our first season my freshman year, and while the wins are great, they are not what I will take away from my time as a part of Westminster field hockey. The friends I’ve made through this team are some of the best people I know, and I feel so lucky to call them some of my best friends. The feeling I get being able to play alongside these girls, knowing that they all have my back no matter what is indescribable. Getting to play under my mom has been one of the best things for me, I get to see her constant kindness and humility she brings to everything she does. This time I’ve gotten to spend with irreplacable, and I admire her so much for everything she has done for me and this team. This team has changed my life, and words cannot describe how much I will miss it next year. Advice for future Wildcats: Future wildcats, take full advantage of the relationships this team will bring you with peers, underclassmen, and even coaches. Although practice and games are great, the things I will remember most from field hockey are the days we spent getting to know each other through this team. Compete your hardest and give it everything you have, but also remember that these relationships you form have the ability to last so much longer than the satisfaction of any win."

Taylor Siebenman: "Field hockey has always been a story for me and oh what a story it was. Just a few hopeful girls and a willing coach fighting to add just one more sport to the roster. Those days we celebrating just making contact with the ball instead of whiffing never even dreaming of field wide hits or reverse chips. After a few years of hard work and a seemingly never ending patience from Coach Schmer, we were finally able to field a varsity team. To this day I still don’t know how Coach survived those years without walking off the field and quitting. We were terrible. But it never seemed to bother anyone. In one of our first games against Cor Jesu the referee called for a corner and we all turned to Coach Schmer in confusion because we didn’t even know what a corner was and she said. “Um we’ll work on that next practice.” And work we did. We became the underdogs of the league all while still maintaining our goofy team antics like Gracie Adams flinging her stick across the field instead of hitting the ball and putting a jersey on Coopy and declaring his team mascot. This team has been a family to me. We’ve been through plenty of tough losses and frustrating games and I’m so happy to watch it grow and develop to what it is today. We were so lucky to be able to bring Coach Schmer her 300th win this season and I couldn’t imagine a better team to celebrate with. These girls are my sisters in every way but blood and I’m going to miss them with all my heart. Even though this goodbye is sad, if it I had to do it all over again, I would because the years of bonding through adversity and celebration over triumphs have made this team the greatest family I’ve ever been apart of. Advice for future Wildcats: Don’t forget where we came from. This team is so young and it wasn't long ago that we didn’t know what a sweep or a lift even was. We see so many teams that are so concerned with themselves that they yell and scream at each other when things go wrong. Please Please Please never treat each other like that. We have always laughed and joked throughout loses and challenges and I never want that to change. Keep having fun. Never stop the water fights, pantsing wars, or dance parties before games. Keep doing what you’re doing but don’t forget to have some fun along the way. "

Bekah Warren: "Westminster field hockey has meant so much to me. As a freshman trying a new sport, I was terrified showing up to the first day of practice. But as soon as I started playing alongside incredible coaching staff and teammates I immediately felt at home. This season has meant the most to me because looking back on my four years I can see how I have grown as an individual and how our program has grown as a whole. This team knows more than anyone how to take losses humbly and respectfully. Without fail, all of our players respect all officials, opponents, and coaches. This is something so special and unique to our school’s program. This year has been amazing to see how we have grown in skill level. Remembering not knowing what a corner was our first game, our 10-2 record is absolutely incredible. I also want to recognize our amazing coaches. Coach Kuhn has brought so much life and energy to the team the last two years and I cannot imagine playing without her. Coach Schmer, you have made a lasting impact on my skill set and me as an individual. I am the player I am because of you. You have encouraged me in ways that no one else has and you model what it means to be a godly coach. I will miss you so much and I hope that I can become more and more like you as I go into the next phase of my life. Advice for future Wildcats: For the younger girls I would encourage them to always remember where we have come from. This team could only have come to where we are today from the Lords hand in all of our endeavors. I cannot wait to come back and watch us hang with and eventually beat MICDS and St. Joe. Also, appreciate your coaching staff. They pour so much heart into all they do and into each one of us. Lastly, remember that at the end of the day this is all for the Lord. No matter if we have the amazing record we have this year or not, glorify him in your playing and attitudes towards our opponents and one another. This program means the world to me and I'm heart broken that it is my time to go, but once a wildcat always a wildcat. I love you all and cannot wait to come back and cheer on our amazing hockey program for years to come. "