FHOC Looking to Upgrade Locker Room
Dec 10 | Field Hockey
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In making the Big Ten Tournament, Rutgers field hockey's inaugural season in the conference proved to be a huge success.
That one tour through the Big Ten was all head coach Meredith Long needed to affirm that her team was capable of competing on the field -- while also signaling to her that the next step that was needed was an upgraded locker room.
With that in mind, the field hockey coaching staff and players launched a crowd-funding campaign that is now in its final stages.
"We need an updated locker room so the players have a first-class space where they can prepare," Long says. "It's about taking the program to the next level, matching and exceeding the facilities of our competitors, and in doing so putting ourselves in a position to compete for Big Ten championships."
Though the fundraising efforts are currently short of the projected goal, Long is hopeful that field hockey supporters at Rutgers and throughout New Jersey will step up to put the Scarlet Knights on equal footing with some of their conference peers.
Long said plans for the locker room makeover call for a complete overhaul.
"We're hoping to have all new lockers, new carpet, fresh paint, new lighting, a media area where we can watch and break-down film," she said. "We also need a storage area for the team, as well as a nutrition area.
"It's all about providing an environment where our team can perform at their very best. A space they can be proud of."
Rutgers, coming off a 9-10 season that included two Big Ten victories and a spot in the conference's post-season tournament, will return 12 players with starting experience as well as 91 percent of its scoring offense.
The momentum that is building will be further fueled by an incoming class that features three standouts from the state: Kelly Hanna (Seaville, N.J.), Nikki Profita (Washington, N.J.) and Caitlin Nitschmann (Bordentown, N.J.).
"I'm from New Jersey [Ocean City High School] and I think everyone in the state is excited about what we're doing at Rutgers. I think a lot of high school programs, club programs and people in the state are really rooting for us, especially now we're in the Big Ten," Long said. "We're hoping they now get behind us to help with the locker room improvements we need."
