Yale Field Hockey History
Field hockey began modestly at Yale in 1971, but its growth has been rapid, marked by strong leadership, dedication and commitment. The field hockey program boasts three ECAC titles, an Ivy League championship, two Ivy Players of the Year and three Rookies of the Year as part of its distinguished history.
In recent years field hockey at Yale has gained a reputation for high standards with its schedule of top-notch competition, facing several nationally-ranked teams in addition to seven Ivy opponents. The 1998 season was one to remember for the Bulldogs. They won a school-record 15 games, were nationally ranked for most of the season and captured the ECAC Championship for the first time in school history. Yale captured its second ECAC crown in 2002. The Bulldogs won their last nine games of the season, including a 1-0 win over Drexel in the championship game of the ECAC Tournament. Yale repeated as ECAC champions in 2003 with a 2-1 victory over Penn at Johnson Field.
Lawrie Mifflin (shown here) captained Yale in its first two seasons, serving along with Jane Curtis in 1971 and with Susan Morse in 1972. The Bulldogs started Ivy League play in 1972, and in 1976 achieved double-digit wins for the first time with a 10-4-2 record. The development of field hockey at Yale was signaled by its first Ivy crown in 1980, when the Elis posted a 6-3-5 record. The next year, Jan Colarusso was selected as Ivy Player of the Year, the culmination of her brilliant career that included three first team All-Ivy honors and a four-year stint with the U.S. National Team.
In 1982, goaltender Nada Sellers was the first Eli player to be named Ivy Rookie of the Year. The 1984 squad boasted two honorable mention All-Americans in Sellers and forward Cyndie Bieler. In 1985, Sellers was named a Mid-East All-American, while Colleen Carbery and Lynne Brookes received honorable mention All-America recognition.
Sue Sabatino, who owns the Ivy record with 50 saves in a game against Cornell in 1987, continued the Yale tradition of excellence, earning Ivy Rookie of the Year honors in 1986, along with regional All-America laurels. Sabatino also participated in the 1989 Olympic Sports Festival.
Yale star Anne Lehman, a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection for three straight years (1990-92), was in camp for the 1991 U.S. National Team and was the winner of the prestigious Nellie Pratt Elliot Award for the most outstanding senior female athlete at Yale. Lehman also smashed the school record for the most points in a career, accumulating 87 on 34 goals and 19 assists. In 1998 Lehman and Anne Keating were selected to the Ivy League's Silver Anniversary Team. Kelli Bartlett also was an Elliot Award winner after being named team most valuable player twice and earning All-Ivy honors in three of her four years.
The Bulldogs made history by posting back-to-back ECAC Championships in 2002 and 2003. Two-time first team All-Ivy goalkeeper Krissy Nesburg graduated in 2004 with the fourth-best goals-against average (1.49) in school history, helping the Bulldogs to 24 wins during that two-year span. Yale also earned a significant team honor in 2003, earning an NFHCA National Team Academic Award by tying for the fourth-best grade point average (3.32) in the country. Twelve Bulldogs were honored individually with selection to the Division I Academic Squad -- more than any other team in the Ivy League. Yale followed that up with 10 selections in 2004, and Sarah Driscoll earned the Elliot Award.
Pam Stuper took over as head coach for the 2005 season, and in 2006 the Bulldogs finished second in the Ivy League. That tied for the school's highest finish in the standings since the 1980 Ivy League championship season. The team also earned another National Academic Team Award from the NFHCA and was one of Yale's nation-leading 28 squads to receive the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for scoring among the top 10 percent in the Academic Progress Rate.
