Transformation of field hockey captains mirrors team's growth

When senior captains Lydia Schrott and Morgan Miller arrived in Bloomington as freshmen, they avoided attention.\n"Both were not really sure of themselves," IU coach Amy Robertson said. "They were very quiet."\nNow, the two seniors, along with junior captain Meredith Brown, are the linchpins of a Hoosier squad coming off its most successful season. The Hoosiers went 17-5 last season, placing second in the Big Ten and reaching the 16-team NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.\nThe transformation of Schrott and Brown from timid freshmen to vocal leaders mirrors the transformation of IU field hockey from Big Ten member to conference contender. The past three seasons, the Hoosiers placed sixth, fifth and second in the Big Ten.\n"It's been a really cool experience that I probably wouldn't have had at any other school," Schrott said of the Hoosiers' improvement. "To get to the NCAAs and climb our way to the top of the Big Ten last season was one of the coolest things I've ever been a part of."\nPerhaps no one embodies IU's rise better than All-American forward Schrott, who started every game her freshman year and tied for the team leader in goals with six. Last season, Schrott recorded 17, goals including two hat tricks. She began this season as IU's all-time career goals leader.\nHer real transformation, however, can't be quantified on the stat sheet.\n"Lydia was so hard on herself when she first arrived," Robertson said. "She was quiet. She was real uncomfortable speaking in front of the group. Today, you would never have a clue she was like that."\nWhile Schrott provides most of the offensive firepower, backer Miller takes much of the responsibility on defense.\n"Since my freshman year, Amy (Robertson) has been trying to get me to communicate more on the field," Miller said. "Now that I'm a senior, I feel confident directing our defense. (Junior goalkeeper) Haley (Exner) and I start the communication on the field."\nMiller, a four-year starter, earned first team All-Big Ten honors last season as the anchor of the defense.\nMidfielder Meredith Brown, who tied for first in assists in the Big Ten last season, said her position allows her to keep the team playing as a unit.\n"Especially being a central player, my role is to keep the team calm in games but also to keep the tempo up," Brown said. "I'm one of the vocal leaders of the team, making sure we're playing at the top of our game."\nAll three team captains play at different positions, which gives them great depth in controlling the field, Brown said.\n"I think the team really feeds off the energy of those three," Robertson said. "Each of them influence different pockets of our team."\nWhether they reach the NCAA Tournament again this season or not, the Hoosier captains will take away the satisfaction that comes with improving a an entire team from the ground up.\n"We feel like we're building this program," Brown said. "It's coming from us -- the whole team"