KUTZTOWN, PA (October 28, 2010) – When watching senior forward Abbey Sheeler perform at such a high level on the field, you would think she'd been playing field hockey her whole life. What you may not know, however, is that Sheeler's path to KU field hockey is not as clear cut as it seems.
It is no question the impact that Sheeler has had on the KU field hockey team over her four years in maroon-and-gold. Since joining the team in 2007, Sheeler has 34 career goals as the Golden Bears have gone 50-25. She also ranks 26th in Division II in scoring this season (0.62 goals/game).
“Abbey is the 'quiet rock' of the team,” said head coach Betty Wesner. “She is very steady, not too flashy, and has lots of consistency. Abbey is a leader both on and off the field and has helped the team to playoffs and be in the top five academically for Division II.”
Finding her place in field hockey was not always Sheeler's intended path, as she wasn't introduced to the sport until her teenage years by her mother, who played in high school as well.
“Before I was introduced to field hockey, I played volleyball,” said Sheeler. “If it wasn't for my mom taking me out of the volleyball program, I would have never touched a field hockey stick. I thank my mom everyday for making that decision because I absolutely love the sport and the environment it brings. Field hockey has been a huge part of my life and I have loved every minute of it. My mom has been an inspiration throughout my years of field hockey. After every game she would give me pointers and even work with me on improving my skills.”
Sheeler and the Kutztown University field hockey team are ranked fifth in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) top poll. The Golden Bears (8-6 overall) are also ranked sixth in the NCAA Division II South Region poll.
Before arriving at Kutztown, Sheeler went to high school at Brandywine Heights in Mertztown, Pa. where she began her field hockey career heading in the right direction.
“We had an awesome field hockey program,” said Sheeler. “Our senior year, we set the school record for wins with 23. We had eight seniors and we had been playing with each other since the seventh grade. We went undefeated our senior year and we finally beat our rivals (Oley Valley) twice and tied them once. I couldn't have asked for a better senior year.”
Sheeler's play at Brandywine Heights caught the eye of coach Wesner, who was determined to recruit Sheeler to play at KU.
“Watching Abbey play in high school as a center midfielder, she was very offensive oriented,” said Wesner. “She could score and play a big part in front of the net.”
The difficult challenge for Wesner, however, was to convince Sheeler to change her position. Sheeler had played defense and midfield in her high school career, but was now asked to move to forward, a position where Sheeler had never played before.
“The toughest part of my college career was during my freshman year when coach told me I would be playing on the front line,” said Sheeler. “I looked at her like she was crazy because all my life I played defense and nothing else. She believed in me and I'm glad she did. At that time, I had no idea what I was doing or where I was supposed to be on the field. She clearly saw something in me that I didn't and I'm happy she did.”
“She was very nervous at first,” said Wesner, “and actually called me several times during that first summer before preseason to talk about it.”
Handling this change of position was tough at first for Sheeler, as moving to forward brought on new responsibilities and higher expectations. Having experienced teammates around Sheeler certainly helped her progress, as she is now one of the top performers for the Golden Bears.
Kutztown is more than halfway through its season and Sheeler is looking forward to finishing her career off on a positive note by helping the Golden Bears compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) playoffs. Kutztown has six games remaining, with its next two being against conference opponents in C.W. Post and Bloomsburg. Despite dropping its last two games by one goal, Sheeler is confident the team can turn things around.
“So far the season is going good,” said Sheeler when asked about the Golden Bears season thus far. “We started off really strong and I feel like we lost that in the last couple of games, but the season is only half way done and I have confidence that we can pull it back together.”
Kutztown's next game is Saturday October 30th against PSAC opponent C.W. Post. Play begins at 1:00 p.m. at University Field.
--KU--
