IU’s success lies in Coach Robertson

As the Hoosiers prepare to take on No. 15 Northwestern this Friday, IU Coach Amy Robertson continues to preach what she has for the past 12 seasons.

Repetition. Communication. Connection.

Robertson helped create the field hockey varsity program at IU.

Since then, the recruiting has been solely out of state. With no major field hockey programs in the state of Indiana, the players come from all parts of America, including California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“I really wanted to build a successful program from the ground up,” Robertson said. “We needed a foundation. I easily could’ve gone overseas to recruit top players, but I felt we would lose a sense of ourself. I wanted to establish an identity and keep identifying the right kind of recruits to fit our philosophy and our personality.”

Robertson has been textbook in her recruiting in the last decade, bringing in players who are not only skillful but can connect.

“There’s a bunch of teams out there that most of them probably can’t even compare themselves to our team,” senior back Brenna Moeljadi said. “We all get along. It’s just the way Amy (Robertson) recruits.”

Moeljadi said she looks at the team’s connection as a cornerstone for its success.

“She recruits people that she really enjoys, and I think one of the most important things our team is successful in is our team chemistry,” said Moeljadi.
As for the repetition, the team uses video to help position and attack in a constant effort to improve.
“Well, I think something that is really important with Amy is that she is very thorough with what she does, which is really good for us,” senior forward Jaclyn Zamudio said. “Something that we really need is a lot of repetition, and she does that a lot with showing us video and then going right from video onto the field and practicing those drills.”

Earlier in the season, the Hoosiers defeated Ball State to give Robertson her 100th career victory. The milestone was a testament to the work Robertson has poured into the program.

“Really, it’s everything leading up to that,” Robertson said. “There have been so many great little celebrations, big celebrations, big milestones — its just a reminder of all the hard work. The sweat and tears that we’ve put in getting 100 wins builds a program. All those wins have come at the cost of a lot of hard work. None of them came easy.”

As for now, the 6-2 Hoosiers enter the Big Ten season with half an eye on the future as both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournament loom. Defeating formerly ranked Ohio University last week shows just how good the team can be.

“This team has a ton of potential,” Robertson said. “We’re still finding out what we’re capable of. I think we have the best backfield we’ve ever had. We have better movement and threaten better than ever.”