On November 10th 2013, the Rhodes Field Hockey team defeated the No. 1 seeded Centre College to earn their fifth straight conference title, or as the team likes to call it “a 5-peat.” Leading the charge for this amazing accomplishment were seniors Regan McLaughlin, Kelly Whelan, Sam Anscher, and Julia Price. This week, Her Campus honors these fabulous women for their four years of hard work and dedication to this team of champions. These four women began their freshman year together as new friends and teammates. They graduate this May as old friends and teammates who are leaving behind a tremendous legacy. Let’s see what they have to say about their last four years together:
HC: Why Rhodes? What about the program inspired you to apply?
McLaughlin: Rhodes is the farthest south DIII field hockey program I’m pretty sure.
Whelan: Rhodes seemed a lot like my high school, which I loved. It was small and professors really cared about their students. Besides…who wouldn’t want to go to a school that looks like Hogwarts?
Anscher: Definitely the team. When I came to visit, the team here was such a close-knit bunch and I wanted to be a part of the cool kids club.
Price: When I met Marie mason I knew I could be a part of this team.
HC: What position do you play?
McLaughlin: Center Defensive Mid, but I like left D better.
Whelan: Goalie.
Anscher: Defense aka D-Street.
Price: Center Back.
HC: Talk about a time where you were most proud to be a member of the team.
McLaughlin: Last year when the whole team came to D.C for Fall Break, and they walked with my family and our non-profit, The Young Hearts, for the “Light the Night Walk.” It was awesome. My family started the team when my brother died of cancer in 1999, and it meant the world to me because the team never met my brother but they still came and supported me with something that has been my life for the past 13 years.
Whelan: When we went to go watch the only high school field hockey team in Tennessee. You could tell that those girls really looked up to us.
Anscher: Freshman year when we had a record-breaking season of being 17-2 and getting a first round bye in the NCAA tournament.
Price: When we did the “Light the Night Walk” in D.C. with Regan’s Family.
HC: Best freshman year season memory?
McLaughlin: Making the “fly team” to go to VA for our first games. Then realizing that everyone made the fly team… there was no fly team.
Whelan: When Julia Price and I finally passed our fitness test after…well…quite a few tries.
Anscher: After NCAAs we all convinced Jane to buy us Dairy Queen with some of our leftover money. It was sweet bliss. Also, how skinny we were. We ran so much.
Price: Winning SAA at DePauw in the freezing cold.
HC: Best senior year season memory?
McLaughlin: Team bonding day. All of our non-field hockey talents really shined that day.
Whelan: Having a shutout in the last game of my career. It was great having the whole team run out and tackle me at the end of the game.
Anscher: Beating Centre on their home field to win conference. Also, the first weekend when one of the ladies who worked at our hotel’s name was Juana. That same night it only took us 10 minutes to get a noise complaint.
Price: Beating Centre at Centre in front of their home crowd for the Ship.
HC: Which Championship means the most to you?
McLaughlin: Ummmm all of them? None of them? Most memorable game was playing Montclair State in the first round of NCAA’s my sophomore year and I assisted the goal that brought us in to overtime. … but then we lost in sudden death. Classic.
Whelan: This most recent one, as I had two consecutive shutouts. I really felt like it was a huge team effort.
Anscher: Wow, all of them! Freshman year we were the first team to go undefeated in SCAC play and we beat DePauw on their field. Sophomore year when we claimed the very last SCAC title. My junior year we got the first ever SAA field hockey title, and this last year is really a special one because it was our last.
Price: No single championship, but the four in four.
HC: Talk about a time when you were most proud of one another:
Price writes that she appreciates Regan the most “whenever she reminds the team that field hockey should be fun.”
Anscher writes that she was most proud of Kelly “when she came back this year after being abroad and totally kicked @$$ in all our fitness tests. Homegirl, had it goin’ on.”
Price writes that she was most proud of Sam “when she was voted captain her junior year, no one was more deserving.”
Whelan admires Julia because “she pushes everyone to do their best and tells people not necessarily what they want to hear, but need to hear. Julia isn’t afraid to do what’s right, even if it hurts.”
HC: What hopes do you have for next year’s team? Do you have any advice?
McLaughlin: Give it all on the field. And then leave it there. Once you step off the field, the game is over but the people you play with will always be there. Treat them with respect because regardless of your record at the end of the season, it’s them who will pull you up when you’re feeling down.
Whelan: I hope that next year’s team keeps up the hard work and always gives their best, even when you feel like you can’t get enough. A good player goes down fighting, but a champion gets up when they can’t. Yet, always remember that your teammates are more important than winning— always.
Anscher: I’m sure they’ll continue this good thing we’ve got going. They’re a pretty amazing group. My advice would be to push yourself to the fullest because after four years, you want to leave that field knowing you’ve done everything humanly possible. You never know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. While the going’s good, appreciate it. When the going gets rough, remember the good and remember why you started playing in the first place.
Price: Keep the streak alive, go for 6. We are a winning program, keep winning. We are a group of girls who love and care about one another, no drama. Keep that alive and you will be successful.
HC: What legacy do you think you’re leaving behind?
McLaughlin: I hope I leave behind a pretty dope legacy. Not to take yourself so seriously and to remember this is a game, it’s supposed to be fun. You’re doing it wrong if you’re angry or mad.
Whelan: I think I am leaving a legacy of not being afraid to be yourself and to do whatever you have to do to stop a goal.
Anscher: As a team, I think we’ve been able to start what I like to think of as a dynasty. A tradition of excellence. We also left behind a tradition of freshman having to prepare a song if front of everyone at our sports banquet. Personally, I’m leaving a pretty sweet legacy (if I do say so myself) of locker room and rat twerk team warm up jams.
Price: We aren’t leaving anything behind that the teams before us didn’t.
HC: What will you miss the most about the team?
McLaughlin: Running and playing and laughing.
Whelan: I will miss having 24 best friends who are always around no matter what.
Anscher: Seeing my teammates everyday and getting to hit the sh** out of balls; field hockey can be very therapeutic. Also, the free food.
Price: The friendship, the laughs, and the shared love of field hockey.
Now for some fun questions…
HC: Best pre-game pump up song?
McLaughlin: “Mambo Italiano”
Whelan: Sorry…gotta go Russian on this one as you were probably expecting: “Zajigai Serdse (Зажигай Сердсе)” by Ani Lorak
Anscher: “Hey Porsche”
Price: “Gotta Work” by Amerie
HC: Best Jane Wells quote?
McLaughlin: “Look Athletic!!”
Whelan: “Booooo Sewanee. There they are booo…booo”
Anscher: “I couldn’t even eat my Chipotle!”
HC: Team motto?
McLaughlin: TCB(k).
Whelan: Knock it in the cage lady lynx rage.
Anscher: Don’t fhock with us. If you drop it, just pick it up.
Price: Pride Lynx Pride.
HC: Least favorite workout at practice?
McLaughlin: Lifting.
Whelan: REPEATS. I would rather pull out my own teeth.
Anscher: I usually try to block these from my memory but if I dig deep enough into my untapped subconscious, I’d say paperclip, snake, or any track workout, it’s a toss-up.
Price: Repeats or the Gauntlet.
HC: Any weird game day rituals?
McLaughlin: I personally have a lucky pair of underwear.
Whelan: I have to put 8 braids in my hair and then put a skullcap on. The skullcap, as my teammates know, is absolutely imperative. It even earned me my nickname freshman year of Skullcap Hoo-ha-ha.
Anscher: Always have to twerk before a game, gotta get loose ya know?
Price: Lefts first (left shin guard before right, left sock before right, left shoe before right).
HC: Biggest rival?
McLaughlin: Meh. They’re all the worst.
Whelan: Sewanee.
Anscher: Centre and DePauw.
Price: Centre or Sewanee. Centre is more competition.
HC: If you could live in a movie, which one would you choose?
McLaughlin: Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. Obviously, post conflict resolution.
Whelan: Bartok the Magnificent
Anscher: Finding Nemo, then I’d be able to breathe underwater…and I would’ve totally touched the butt.
Price: Harry Potter.
Regan, Kelly, Sam, and Julia—Congratulations on an outstanding four years of friendship, teamwork, championships, and what is already an incredible legacy!