Field Hockey players at their game against Lynchburg on Oct.30, which they lost 1-5
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
the team finished 12-5, the best record VWU Field Hockey since 2005
The Virginia Wesleyan Women’s Field Hockey team made history this season and earned a playoff spot for the first time since 2016.
The Marlins finished the season with an overall record of 12-5, which is the most wins in a season for the program since 2005, when they won 13.
With this feat, the Marlins have improved significantly from the previous season after finishing with a 7-11 record to end the 2023 season.
A lot of this success has come from the freshmen class introducing strong talent, being some of the best in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). Freshman Berkley Miller has been one of the key pieces to the Marlins’ success as the team’s starting goalkeeper.
Miller has won the ODAC Defensive Player of the Week award three times already this season while logging 65 saves in 16 games.
Miller said she enjoyed every minute of her time with the team this season and is excited to keep this journey rolling.
“This team is absolutely incomparable to teams I have played for in the past. We focus on our culture as a team a lot and it is one of the main reasons I came to this school,” Miller said.
Miller is insistent that her success is in large part due to how comfortable she is around this group and that it will take them far in the future.
“This group of people is so special to me because I know I am able to talk to each and every one of my teammates. This team is there for me no matter what and I feel noticed and not put off to the side,” Miller said.
Even with all of this success in Miller’s first year on the team, she is staying humbled and looks to make small strides every day, she said.
“My goals moving forward are to keep putting in the work at practice and to make it beyond the first round of the playoffs,” Miller said.
This season’s success has also been a blessing for the upperclassmen who have been through tough times during their career as the team only won 15 games total from 2020 to 2023.
Forward Olivia Winslow, a senior, described what it has been like to go from a struggling team to one of the top schools in the ODAC.
“This team has transformed over my four years. We are full of hard-working, determined and compassionate young women ready to get things done. The competitive nature of this team has allowed us to find some true success this season,” Winslow said.
The Marlins earned the No. 5 spot in the tournament in which they faced No. 4 Washington and Lee University and lost by a score of 7-0.
“Previously, teams underestimated us and considered us not a competitor. However, now the ODAC respects us as an opponent,” Winslow said.
All of this season’s success has Head Field Hockey Coach Riley van der Velde incredibly pleased especially with the contributions of the younger players.
“We have a few freshmen in some tough positions. We ask a lot of them and we make no excuses for being young. I’m so proud of their contributions, mental toughness and work ethic. They have set the bar for all of the women coming in next year,” van der Velde said.
Coming into this season, van der Velde and the team had the goal of making the ODAC tournament as it would be their first playoff berth since the 2016 season.
“We talk a lot about trusting the process and not focusing so much on outcomes. We know if we trust the process the outcomes will follow. That being said, we are focusing on bringing our best level of hockey and teamwork to the ODAC tournament,” Velde said.
Despite the loss to Washington and Lee University in the quarterfinal round of the ODAC tournament, the team feels to be in good hands moving forward heavily due to the leadership of the upperclassmen.
Senior Lauren Hedspeth, the team’s second-leading scorer, is excited for the team beyond this season.
“It is such an amazing feeling to see this team grow over the years I have been here. So much time and effort has gone into growing this program. I know that it will only continue to grow because of the young women who have bought into our program,” Hedspeth said.
With new talent and confidence, the team looks to capitalize on their success next season.
By: Coy Camiscioli
