By Alyssa Brock
Field hockey is one of four teams that are not sponsored by Bellarmine’s primary conference, the Atlantic Sun Conference. Field hockey competes independently in the Mid-American Conference.
Teresa Schmidt, senior captain and midfielder, said, “The ASUN doesn’t have field hockey as one of their sanctioned sports, which means field hockey has to participate in the MAC and compete against schools like Ball State or Central Michigan University.”
Each conference sets its own rules, and BU must follow all MAC guidelines. “The MAC has a set of different rules than the ASUN. For example, the MAC allows seven flex days that players and coaches can decide to use as days off for any reason,” Schmidt said.
Flex days can be determined “any time in the academic year, when classes are in session, to be off-days,” according to the Mid-American Conference Handbook.
In the ASUN, field hockey teams are allowed to play on artificial turf. Amber Hofenk Jerembo, senior forward, said, “In our conference or league (MAC), we play on water turf fields, and because Bellarmine doesn’t have one yet so we are very fortunate to work with Louisville field hockey.”
Games and practices are held at the University of Louisville’s Trager Stadium because its field is a water-based synthetic turf named AstroTurf®12. Bellarmine's Owsley B. Frazier Stadium is a "24/7" surface turf that isn’t water-based.
“We have a great partnership with the University of Louisville, and they have been very supportive of our field hockey program,” field hockey head coach Devanny Boisvert said.
Limited time on the water turf and playing “home” games in another school’s stadium can be very challenging. “We have practice a couple of times at Bellarmine and once a week at Louisville, but it depends on how many games we have during the week,” Schmidt said.
Boisvert said: “We try to practice on Wednesdays. Some Thursdays we are traveling, so it works best with our schedules, but we try to work around Louisville’s practices or games.”
The BU field hockey team has a conference match at Appalachian State Oct. 7 at 5:30, and the game will be broadcast on Appalachian State’s Twitch page appstatesports - Twitch.
Amber Hofenk Jerembo crosses another player to make her way toward the goal. Photo courtesy of John Sommers II.
Teresa Schimdt moves the ball down the field with a laser focus. Photo courtesy of John Sommers II.
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