For the past 10 years, the UR Field Hockey (URFH) has ended each season with a winning record. UR has made a postseason showing for the past four years, reaching the NCAA Elite Eight in 2012 and 2015. Last season alone, this team consisted of two All-Americans and, over the past 10 years, has consistently received the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Academic Team Award (which requires an average GPA of 3.2 or better).
Along with a litany of exceptional athletic and academic accomplishments, another component of URFH has remained constant over the past ten years—coach Wendy Andreatta.
Andreatta came to the University in 2007 after coaching Division I Field Hockey at both Columbia and Hofstra University. Her experience in such competitive climates has translated well into the program at the UR.
Although the Yellowjackets are a Division III team, the drills and concepts that she had learned from her years playing and coaching the Division I circuit are the same. She describes her coaching style as one of high intensity and high expectations.
This method of coaching has made a difference on and off the field for many of the players on the team.
Seniors Callie Fisher and Sayaka Abe both hold Andreatta in the highest regard for her compassion toward each player and her dedication to improving individuals and the team.
“Wendy truly embodies our school’s motto—Meliora,” senior attacker Fisher said.
Even for the eight incoming freshmen on the team, the climate of the team is welcoming and supportive. Andreatta takes pride in the fact that her team is so accepting of new teammates and how quickly the team creates friendships.
“Even though I’ve only been on the team for a little over two months, I automatically felt welcomed because Wendy is extremely friendly and personable,” freshman midfielder Maya Haigis said. “She has already made such a large impact on my playing abilities and I have learned so much from being a member of the team.”
Despite her clear success, Andreatta is humble, too—one will rarely hear her regard her proficient coaching methods and influence.
“I always credit the team,” she said. “When we win, they’re the ones out there doing the work. I have found that they work just as hard, and many of them have the same talent as some of the kids I was coaching at Columbia or Hofstra.”
Andreatta prefers to acknowledge the team’s reaction to her coaching above her coaching itself. Andreatta may set high expectations for her team, but she consistently celebrates the fact that her team meets and even rises above her expectations every day.
“Getting to be out in the field with the girls is very meaningful to me […],” she said. “I find it so special to be involved in these formative years as their college coach. Having a winning season is certainly icing on the cake.”
“I know that it makes the experience that much more positive for the student athletes,” she added, “but there is so much more to a college sport than winning games. The bigger picture is always what my focus is.”
