RUSH Seniors continue commitment to College Programs
By: Cass Jordan
SAN DIEGO – Several RUSH Field Hockey seniors continue a program tradition—committed and ready to embark on their first season of collegiate field hockey. In the last four years, RUSH Field Hockey has sent 39 players off to their respective college programs.
This year’s class of nine will join a NCAA Championship team, play alongside accomplished RUSH alums, represent every position on the field and in multiple conferences across the country.
Headed all the way to New York, RUSH Field Hockey’s Audrey Matthew will play for the 2015 NCAA D I National Championship Orange. Last season, Syracuse made another deep run in the ACC and NCAA tournament advancing to the quarterfinals and Elite Eight.
Back in 2015 and unbeknownst to RUSH alum Niki Neidhart at the time, she began her rookie year at SU and eventual route to a national title.
Also set to compete in the ACC is RUSH midfielder, Meghan Schneider. A current USA Under-19 team member, Schneider joins the University of Louisville—a team with a track record of NCAA tournament appearances and national team players. Schneider's commitment also bridges a family trend—her mother Cindy Schneider played field hockey at the University of Iowa and her younger sister Katie Schneider will complete the mother-daughter-dynasty and also attend Louisville in 2019.
Making the furthest trek east to Massachusetts RUSH midfielder and defenseman Jenna Tampon, will suit up with Smith College in the fall. Last season Smith finished second in the NEWMAC and landed 14 members on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic squad. Additionally, the 1983 Smith field hockey team was recently inducted into Smith’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
With a rich history of RUSH payers in the Big Ten Conference, RUSH's Saywer Post keeps the trend going with her commitment to Michigan State University. A speedy attacker, Post will join the Spartans on their newly renovated Astro turf field scheduled to be finished later this summer. She will be the fourth RUSH player since 2002 to wear the green and white, following in the footsteps of Jessica Miller, Kathryn Elenz-Martin Douglas and former RUSH Assistant Program Director, Molly Cassidy.
Despite the cross-country spread of commitments, not every RUSH player will have to bid the other good-bye. In fact, four will continue to play together while another joins a rivalry school nearby.
RUSH Program Director Brian Schledorn (left) coaches an Elite Performance Group in San Diego.
Megan Rodgers, a USA Under-19 team member and San Diego’s record goal scorer, will be this year’s lone RUSH player to join the University of California, Berkeley. However, she will find plenty of familiarity as at least one RUSH player has been on Cal's roster every year for nearly the last decade. The core group of Cal's returning players this year include RUSH alums: Maddie Ashbrook, Mara Gutierrez, Gabi Jimenez, Krya Kent, Zoe Randolph and Alie Zimmer.
Not too far away, Rodgers will encounter soon-to- be friendly foes also settling into their new home in the American East Conference. The University of California, Davis will welcome four RUSH newcomers to their equally weighted team full of RUSH alums.
Melissa Ardila, Summer Borsack, Daniella Schoenfeld and Madison Theodore will join the Aggies who currently roster five RUSH alums with whom they have trained with and or played alongside at some point in their career.
An explosive and instinctual player, Ardila will bring her consistent goalkeeping to the UC Davis backfield. Ardila will join RUSH alum, Chelsea Bigelow in their goalkeeper unit with stalwart support from RUSH alum defenders, Sara Janetzky and Madison Cohen. Before Bigelow and Ardila, the last RUSH goalkeeper to play in California was Haleh Nourani at Cal in 2008.
Summer Borsack and Daniella Schoenfeld will also add to the Aggies’ defensive line after years of solid defense for RUSH Under-19 and Under-16 travel teams. A multiple sport athlete, Borsack chose field hockey at UC Davis where her sister Eden, a RUSH alum and senior, is also on the team. Schoenfeld, a co-captain at Serra High School with Rogers and Schneider, also showcased well to the UC school with a 4.64 GPA and as ASB President.
On the offensive front, Madison Theodore rounds out the UC Davis freshmen class of RUSH players headed off to college. Theodore will bring crafty stick skills and distribution tactics to the midfield and forward line. There she will find RUSH alums and teammates once again-- Tatiana Arias and Farah Farjood.
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