UNC's club field hockey heads to the national championship

It's no secret that UNC is pretty good at varsity sports. But what many may not know is that the club sports teams can bring it as well. 

On Saturday, the club field hockey team will compete in the national championship for the third year in a row at Virginia Beach. 

“I am really, really excited. We went to nationals last year and we won, so I am really excited to go back and try to defend our national championship title,” said Sarah Richman, sophomore player. “It’s a really good bonding experience — we always go to Olive Garden together and that’s always a lot of fun.”  

But the chance to defend their title wasn't a given.

Caroline Macklin, a senior, said the team had a miscommunication with the league in the beginning of the year. 

“There was a meeting that we were supposed to attend but we didn’t — which was unfortunate — but the meeting was in July and in Maryland, so it was a little inconvenient,” Macklin said. “Their policies were kind of unclear and they said that we missed the meeting, and then they deleted us off of the website and took away all of our stuff online that affiliates us with the league."

But Richman said persevering through the challenges and getting back into the league brought a new sense of confidence to the team. 

“There was a chance earlier in the season that we thought we might not even be able to qualify for nationals, so being able to overcome that makes it feel even better,” Richman said.

Though the club sport environment and schedule allows players to be involved with more extracurricular activities than the varsity schedule, the players said they take it just as seriously.

“I guess it’s a little more relaxed," sophomore Gracie Pearsall said. "I definitely put in the same amount of effort." 

Pearsall said it's the friendly atmosphere that keeps her coming back. 

“It’s a really competitive environment, and we take it really seriously," she said. "But at the same time, we have a lot of fun with each other, and we joke around with each other.” 

Whether it’s on or off the field, the one thing that has continued to grow along with the strength of the team is the bond of friendship between teammates. 

“Becoming friends on and off the field leads to great team chemistry,” Macklin said.

Pearsall agreed: teamwork makes the dream work.

“We all work together really well as a unity to get the job done,” she said.

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