Written by Lauren Schulz, Gryphon Ambassador
Coming into Stevenson as a freshman, I had no idea what the next four years would bring or how much this program would accomplish. I was simply excited for the opportunity to continue playing the sport I love. Looking back now, I never could have imagined everything we would achieve, but I’m definitely not surprised, knowing the hard work and dedication that have brought us here.
During my freshman year, we celebrated Stevenson’s first winning season since 2015. Of course, this was a significant accomplishment for our program, but we knew it was only the beginning and that we had so much more to accomplish. Fast forward to 2025, when we won our first conference championship in program history and earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Now, in my senior season, we are ranked fourth in the nation. Being able to witness and contribute to that kind of growth throughout my four years is something I will never take for granted.
One thing that has remained consistent throughout my time at Stevenson is our competitive mentality. We’ve always been a team that wants to win, but we’ve also understood that building something great takes time. We focused on smaller goals, celebrated the little victories, and continued building on each accomplishment. Over time, those small steps turned into bigger goals, higher expectations, and some of the biggest accomplishments in program history. For us, it’s never been about proving people wrong. It’s about showing people what we’ve been building and what we’re truly capable of accomplishing.
Our coaches have played an incredible role in that growth. Each of them believed in this program long before we were winning championships or earning national recognition. More importantly, they believed in every individual who was part of it. Their commitment has helped create a culture built on hard work, accountability, and genuine care for one another.
If there’s one thing that makes Stevenson Field Hockey special, it’s the culture. Every day at practice, we push each other to be better. There’s a level of competition that challenges everyone to improve, but behind that competitiveness is a genuine love and connection between teammates, both on and off the field. We celebrate each other’s successes because we understand that every individual accomplishment contributes to something bigger. When one of us succeeds, we all succeed. Every individual win is a team win.
As a senior and captain, the most rewarding part of this experience hasn’t necessarily been the championships, rankings, or recognition. It’s been the people I’ve gotten to share it all with. There’s something so special about competing alongside your best friends every day. These are the people you win with, lose with, cry with, celebrate with, and grow with. We’ve bought into the same vision, put in the work, and now we’re getting to see everything we’ve worked toward come together.
While we are graduating a large senior class in the spring, I truly believe the foundation we’ve built is here to stay. The hard work, grit, strength, and genuine care for one another don’t disappear when a class graduates. I hope future teams continue to build on what we’ve started and accomplish even greater things.
When I committed to Stevenson in 2022, I never could have imagined what my senior season would look like. But looking at everything we’ve built and the people I’ve shared it with, I wouldn’t change a thing.
