Temple University Athletics
Field Hockey Designates Leadership Team; Chooses Motto for the 2019 Season
5.30.19 | Field Hockey
PHILADELPHIA - Five student-athletes have been chosen to make up the Leadership Team for the 2019 season under first-year head field hockey coach Susan Ciufo. Three specific roles have been assigned - Organizational Leader, Unity Leader and Commitment Leader, with two others serving as the Performance Captains and the Owls' leaders on game day.
The team has also chosen its motto for 2019, which is "Relentless."
"We are on a relentless pursuit to rise above," said Ciufo. "When asked to speak about what we want to represent and how we want to be viewed, the leaders of our team spoke immediately. We are gritty, we are PHILLY, we are relentless."
Senior Kathryn Edgar and junior Dani Batze will be the Performance Captains for Temple. Edgar will be serving in the role for a second straight year, and was the Owls' offensive leader last season with 13 total points. Batze has been dominant in the backfield in each of her first two years and ranked third in NCAA Division I last year with seven defensive saves.
The Unity Leader is senior Cristen Barnett, the Commitment Leader is senior Becky Gerhart, and the Organizational Leader is senior Lucy Reed.
"It's a great pleasure to announce this Leadership Team," said Ciufo. "I am a strong believer that true leaders create more leaders. Our goal is to have a team of strong women who possess many leadership qualities to help them be great teammates at Temple and great leaders in life after this four-year experience. No single strength is more important than another. We believe that the five leaders selected by the team and coaching staff have the right combination of different strengths to be successful in leading our team in the critical transition stages we are in. I have nothing but respect, pride and love for Kat, Dani, Becky, Lucy and Cristen. These five young women have my complete trust in creating the culture we are striving for in Temple Field Hockey."
Kathryn Edgar
"I'm looking forward to setting an example for everyone, to giving 110% at all times, to motivating to challenge and to make the person beside me BETTER. I am extremely excited to see our grit, strength and energy become a constant across our team and see our performance grow. I can't wait to see how this team evolves and how we will prove to no one else but ourselves that we have what it takes to go as far as we can and enjoy the whole journey together!"
Dani Batze
"I am honored to be named a Performance Captain. I believe that I will do what is asked of me in this position. Driven by my want to win along with the team's overall level of grit and our desire to compete, I think that TUFH will be able to take our program to another level that we have not reached in past seasons. I am looking forward to this opportunity to compete with my sisters and show everyone what Temple Field Hockey is truly made of."
Cristen Barnett
"Being chosen by my teammates and coaches to be the Unity Leader for the 2019 season is a great honor. I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to lead my sisters with four other women. I plan to use this role as a way to bind my teammates closer together and us athletes closer to our coaching staff; as well as building camaraderie and celebrating our accomplishments. We are prepared, motivated, and inspired by one another to take hold of this 2019 season and accomplish some amazing things! This team, who is already very close, is ready to rise above, more united and stronger than ever."
Becky Gerhart
"I am really excited to accept the role as our team's Commitment Leader. I truly believe that everyone is equally a part of this team and that every role matters and is important to our team's success. Although our roles may change throughout the season, we need everyone to remain bought in and ready to work hard for one another. Our commitment level goes far beyond field hockey. Who we are as individuals off the field and in the classroom matters so that we can represent Temple Field Hockey in a positive way. In order to be all in, everyone has to know what their role is and be willing to buy into whatever that role may entail. I am excited to not only lead by example, but also encourage all of my teammates to see the importance they have on our team so that we can all be committed to chasing the same goals!"
Lucy Reed
"I am extremely honored to be a part of the Leadership Team for the 2019 Temple field hockey season. As we enter this upcoming season, we are stepping into a new era of our program. Being one of the five leaders selected by our teammates and staff to facilitate the growth of TUFH is incredibly humbling. Philly icon Benjamin Franklin once said, "For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned." As the organizational leader, I am committed to keeping our team coordinated on and off of the field and active within our community to best represent who we are and what we embody. I firmly believe that being a student-athlete means so much more than just playing our sport. I'm really looking forward to empowering our team to use our platform as student-athletes within the community and athletic department. Being a part of TUFH has been my greatest honor and I am committed to bringing anything that I can give to the program that has given me so much. This program means everything to me and I'm so excited to begin this journey of greatness alongside this family."
The team has also chosen its motto for 2019, which is "Relentless."
"We are on a relentless pursuit to rise above," said Ciufo. "When asked to speak about what we want to represent and how we want to be viewed, the leaders of our team spoke immediately. We are gritty, we are PHILLY, we are relentless."
Senior Kathryn Edgar and junior Dani Batze will be the Performance Captains for Temple. Edgar will be serving in the role for a second straight year, and was the Owls' offensive leader last season with 13 total points. Batze has been dominant in the backfield in each of her first two years and ranked third in NCAA Division I last year with seven defensive saves.
The Unity Leader is senior Cristen Barnett, the Commitment Leader is senior Becky Gerhart, and the Organizational Leader is senior Lucy Reed.
"It's a great pleasure to announce this Leadership Team," said Ciufo. "I am a strong believer that true leaders create more leaders. Our goal is to have a team of strong women who possess many leadership qualities to help them be great teammates at Temple and great leaders in life after this four-year experience. No single strength is more important than another. We believe that the five leaders selected by the team and coaching staff have the right combination of different strengths to be successful in leading our team in the critical transition stages we are in. I have nothing but respect, pride and love for Kat, Dani, Becky, Lucy and Cristen. These five young women have my complete trust in creating the culture we are striving for in Temple Field Hockey."
Kathryn Edgar
"I'm looking forward to setting an example for everyone, to giving 110% at all times, to motivating to challenge and to make the person beside me BETTER. I am extremely excited to see our grit, strength and energy become a constant across our team and see our performance grow. I can't wait to see how this team evolves and how we will prove to no one else but ourselves that we have what it takes to go as far as we can and enjoy the whole journey together!"
Dani Batze
"I am honored to be named a Performance Captain. I believe that I will do what is asked of me in this position. Driven by my want to win along with the team's overall level of grit and our desire to compete, I think that TUFH will be able to take our program to another level that we have not reached in past seasons. I am looking forward to this opportunity to compete with my sisters and show everyone what Temple Field Hockey is truly made of."
Cristen Barnett
"Being chosen by my teammates and coaches to be the Unity Leader for the 2019 season is a great honor. I could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to lead my sisters with four other women. I plan to use this role as a way to bind my teammates closer together and us athletes closer to our coaching staff; as well as building camaraderie and celebrating our accomplishments. We are prepared, motivated, and inspired by one another to take hold of this 2019 season and accomplish some amazing things! This team, who is already very close, is ready to rise above, more united and stronger than ever."
Becky Gerhart
"I am really excited to accept the role as our team's Commitment Leader. I truly believe that everyone is equally a part of this team and that every role matters and is important to our team's success. Although our roles may change throughout the season, we need everyone to remain bought in and ready to work hard for one another. Our commitment level goes far beyond field hockey. Who we are as individuals off the field and in the classroom matters so that we can represent Temple Field Hockey in a positive way. In order to be all in, everyone has to know what their role is and be willing to buy into whatever that role may entail. I am excited to not only lead by example, but also encourage all of my teammates to see the importance they have on our team so that we can all be committed to chasing the same goals!"
Lucy Reed
"I am extremely honored to be a part of the Leadership Team for the 2019 Temple field hockey season. As we enter this upcoming season, we are stepping into a new era of our program. Being one of the five leaders selected by our teammates and staff to facilitate the growth of TUFH is incredibly humbling. Philly icon Benjamin Franklin once said, "For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned." As the organizational leader, I am committed to keeping our team coordinated on and off of the field and active within our community to best represent who we are and what we embody. I firmly believe that being a student-athlete means so much more than just playing our sport. I'm really looking forward to empowering our team to use our platform as student-athletes within the community and athletic department. Being a part of TUFH has been my greatest honor and I am committed to bringing anything that I can give to the program that has given me so much. This program means everything to me and I'm so excited to begin this journey of greatness alongside this family."
Players Mentioned
F
/ Field Hockey
B
/ Field Hockey
M/F
/ Field Hockey
M/B
/ Field Hockey
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