International athletes crucial to team success

IU’s field hockey team relies on two players from more than 4,000 miles away for its defensive duties.

The international recruiting of IU coach Amy Robertson brought junior defender Mutsa Mutembwa and freshman midfielder Julia Raymakers to the team.

The Hoosiers currently have no players from Indiana, eight athletes from Pennsylvania, three from California and two from outside the U.S.


Mutsa Mutembwa    

During the past three seasons, Mutembwa, a native of Harare, Zimbabwe, has made an immediate impact for the Hoosiers on the defensive side.

Mutembwa explained how she was recruited to play for IU.

Gina Lucido, a former IU assistant field hockey coach, now a coach at Richmond, talked to Mutembwa about IU looking for international talent.

“One of the coaches at the new school said she just came from coaching at Indiana University, and she said that Indiana was looking for some international players,” Mutembwa said.

Her resume for field hockey is impressive – Mutembwa is a member of the Zimbabwe Under-21 National team that competed in the 2005 World Cup.  

Playing against America made her want to come to the U.S. for her collegiate career.

“I played against America in the World Cup, where I liked their style of play and chose to come here because I want to be a coach in the future,” Mutembwa said.

Also, in summer 2007, she competed with the Zimbabwe national team at the All-Africa Games.

Lucido told Robertson about Mutembwa when she spoke about coming to play for the Hoosiers.

“She passed on my e-mail address to Coach Robertson, and then Amy got a hold of me and then, a month later, I came to Indiana,” Mutembwa said.

Robertson analyzed Mutembwa’s game and decided to bring her to IU.

“I saw video, heard great things about her, and she didn’t disappoint at all,” Robertson said. 

After some discussion, Mutembwa decided to come to Bloomington to continue her field hockey career.

Mutembwa arrived for official practice on Aug. 9, 2007, after traveling more than 8,000 miles and a 20-hour plane ride from Zimbabwe to Indiana.


Julia Raymakers

Raymakers just began her first year at IU but has also made a major impact on the defensive side.

Raymakers’ process was different because more teams were interested in her field hockey skills, and it showed in the attention she received from the collegiate coaches.

“I was e-mailing with a couple of coaches, and then I chose three universities to visit,” Raymakers said.

She also boasts a national accomplished resume for field hockey that includes being a member of the Amsterdam Field Hockey Under-18 Club.

“I watched video where I was very impressed by her skill, defense and composure, which I thought the team could really use,” Robertson said.

Between 2006 and 2008, she competed in the Under-18 championships, finishing third, second and fourth, respectively.

“I came to America because I love to play hockey and didn’t know what to study, which is different in America than Holland,” Raymakers said.

She chose IU because she liked the program and the Bloomington area more than the other two American schools she visited.

“I liked Indiana the best because of the campus, and just everything together attracted me the most,” Raymakers said.