University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

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In a game against Hofstra Uniiersity. Lori Hillman keeps one eye on the ball and the other on her approaching opponent. Hillman started as a defender every game for the Wolverines throughout the season. J. Neff photo Playing keep away, defender Kristi Gannon stays between the ball and her opponent. Gannon was a captain for the team and has 35 career goals with the Wolverines. . Neff photo With teammate Jessica Blake running tovAJEjfl her.April Fronzoni jumps up in celebraflP after scoring a goal. Frozoni became the fouJTn Wolverine to earn 100 points as a field hockey member. . Neff photo 144 Sports 0: in their torn 21 prepara season ( Wakefi dullenj Wekav canjust time, at wl wii andcani group. it vityi; they jig

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During practice, the coxswain leads the Wolverines in boat drills. The job of the coxswain was to give direction to the rowers to control the boat ' s course and speed. . Weiner photo As the sun rises, the women train hard at an early morning practice. The Wolverines competed in several scrimmages prior to their fall season competitions to gain experience including the annual Boathouse Day scrimmage against a team of alumni. . Weiner photo Crew 143

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WOMEN ' S FIELD HOCKEY Striving ir -hiid 77 in J For the Top By Beth Hamburg NORTH WAKEF NORTH! Only two years after their National Championship, the women ' s field hockey team expected a lot of themselves in their 31 st season. The team returned 13 of its 16 letter winners from 2002, and eight of its 1 1 starters. April Fronzoni, Kristi Gannon, and Stephanie Johnson, the three senior captains, were prepared to lead the team despite a disappointing start to their season with losses to Iowa, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. They came back to win their next four games, including shutouts in two of the meetings. Senior Kate Dillon said, The biggest challenge we face is ourselves this season. We have all of the necessary components to be a championship team, except maybe the compulsion to just get it done. As long as we can just go out and play each game one at a time, and have confidence in our abilities, we will win. The group participated in a lot of team-building activities throughout the season in order to better relate with each other, both as teammates and as friends. A preseason training trip to Holland, pumpkin carving, and canoeing were just a few of the events the team planned as a group. The Wolverine team was composed of talented athletes at varying levels of experience. Senior Stephanie Johnson said, The freshman class this year is pretty strong and independent, so they just stepped right in. Freshman Jill Civic, who opened the season with six goals in the first six games, was featured in the Sports Illustrated On Campus edition as one of the nation ' s top 15 FIELD HOCKEY CAROLINA [E FOREST THEASTERN BOSTON COLLEGE OHIO NEW HAMPSHIRE MARYLAND JAMES MADISON NORTHWESTERN KENT IOWA LOUISVILLE INDIANA CENTRAL MICHIGAN :HIGAN STATE IOFSTRA OLD DOMINION OHIO STATE PENN STATE newcomers in all NCAA Division I sports. Senior April Fronzoni, named Big Ten ' s Athlete and Offensive Player of the Year and Michigan ' s Female Athlete of the Year for the 2002-2003 season, entered the season ranked third in University history for career goals and points. The Wolverines began the season in the Division I National Coaches Poll in seventh place, and had 1 1 of the 20 ranked teams on its 2003 schedule, including the top four teams in the poll: Wake Forest, North Carolina, Maryland, and Penn State. At their season opening game, the ACC Big Ten Challenge, the team debuted skirts as part of their uniforms for the first time since 1997. They also competed for the first time on their newly re-surfaced field. Astro Turf 1200 was installed on Phyllis Ocker Field over the summer with the help of $500,000 raised by friends and alumni of the University ' s field hockey program. The hope for this surface was that it would allow faster and smoother play than the previous, in place since 1995. A block M was also painted at center field. Junior Jessica Blake explained that Big Ten games and the National Tournament would be their hardest challenges for the season. The Big Ten is a really great conference with MSU being our big rival, but there really isn ' t a large gap between any of the teams and everyone [is] vying for the Big Ten Title; we know if we want to go far this year we need to stamp our authority early. The team ' s depth and determination was undeniable as they strove for the Championship title once again. SCORES L L W W W W L W W W W W W W W W W L W 0-4 2-4 4-3 5-3 6-0 5-0 2-4 9-1 3-0 3-0 8-3 3-2 4-0 4-0 1-0 4-1 4-0 1-2 5-2 Field Hockey 145