The "Millersville University Team Makes History" Story

It was an ordinary day.  My college Alma mater, Millersville State Teacher's College, which is now known as Millersville University, just made sports history.  The Marauders women's field hockey team won the NCAA Div. II National Championship, thus becoming the first woman's sports program in school history to win an NCAA championship.  And the girl who scored the only goal in the 1-0 game, Olivia Hershey, was a student at the high school from were I graduated in 1962 and where I eventually taught for 32 years.  Pretty neat feat!  Millersville defeated LIU Post from New York in the championship game held in Louisville, Kentucky.  

Millersville University photograph taken during the celebration
of winning the Division II National Championship.

LIU Post entered the game averaging over four goals a game and was the leading scoring team in the nation.  Didn't matter what records they may have brought to Louisville, Millersville's defense stopped them cold.  

Olivia Hershey from Manheim Township
HIgh School scored the winning goal.

It took Millersville 47 minutes of play before Manheim Township HS graduate and Millersville sophomore Olivia Hershey deflected a shot by teammate Rachel Dickinson into the goal.  Last year the team lost in the national semi- final and had their sights set on the championship this year. The Marauders win was the 20th of the season.  The team featured many players who played for the team four years ago when they ended their season 7-11.  Since that time their record has been 53-13.  Coach Shelly Behrens was the goalkeeper for Old Dominion when they won one of their national championships so she knew how to win.  She is a master recruiter and says that she doesn't necessarily need the best player, but one that wants to come to Millersville and win.  

Photo of Brynn who was a Lancaster County All-Star softball
player as well as being the goalie for the field hockey team.

She has been committed to recruiting in her own backyard by recruiting Penn- sylvania kids.  When my daughter, Brynn, was in high school she was also the goalie for the Manheim Township team that made it into the playoffs for the first time in the history of the program.  Fantastic team that was fun to watch and photograph.  She chose not to continue playing after high school, but if Shelly Behrens had been the coach at Millersville at the time, she may have chosen to play field hockey when she went to Millersville in 1992.  Here's hoping Millersville can continue to produce great teams with the talent from South-Eastern Pennsylvania.  I certainly will continue to follow them.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.