Among three newcomers to the Northwestern field hockey team, the January hiring of Marisa Didio as the program’s new coach met with various reactions.
Suzi Sutton was skeptical, Katie Fischer showed some interest and Diane Provenchar was excited enough to want in.
Despite their different responses, the three new players have developed into key contributors for the Wildcats.
“I have no doubt that she’ll lead us to the top,” Provenchar said of Didio. “We all put our trust in her.”
Provenchar, who at the time was a freshman at Maine, immediately transferred to NU upon hearing of Didio’s hire. Much of that dedication stems from Provenchar’s four years of attending Didio’s summer camp and the friendship the two had formed.
Fischer, then a high school senior, wasn’t even considering NU until Didio was hired. Her strong reputation as a program builder was the deciding factor for Fischer.
But not all players were sold so quickly. Sutton, also a high school senior at the time, had her reservations. She had been recruited by Didio’s predecessor, Diane Loosbrock, and she was initially anxious about Didio’s system, which Sutton feared would be a bad fit.
“I was scared of the situation here,” Sutton said. “I knew of her in the field hockey world. But, I was still a little nervous about it because she didn’t recruit me.”
But Didio went out of her way to sway Sutton with phone calls and a visit to Sutton’s home in Pennsylvania.
Sutton eventually signed on and hasn’t looked back since. Despite being just a freshman, she has earned a starting spot in the lineup and has become a key offensive contributor, scoring her first goal on a penalty stroke in Friday’s 7-0 win over Indiana.
“Suzi has done a great job from the get-go as she has played all over the field,” said Didio, who added that Sutton’s athleticism aided her quick transition to collegiate field hockey.
Provenchar, a defender, also earned a starting job with her aggressive guarding skills. She admitted the games and practices have been intense under Didio, but she knew what to expect from her camp experience.
“I knew I’d have a chance to fight for a position,” Provenchar said. “Each drill has a purpose as I’ve improved each year (at Didio’s camp).”
Fischer didn’t expect playing time as a freshman, but she has played significant minutes in each game this year.
“The unique thing about the program is the starting lineup will change every game,” Fischer said. “She tries to evaluate you every week.”
Not only are all three newcomers content at NU with three more years to help Didio return the Cats to glory, but Didio praised her young and talented players.
“They’ll hustle and not worry about getting hurt,” Didio said. “They are fearless and you can’t coach that.”
SCORING COMBO: Didio frequently makes personnel changes, but she might have finally found a winning tandem with her new penalty corner duo.
Four weeks ago, Didio inserted sophomore Lindsay Millard and gave senior Jodie Condie the stick-stopper job. On a given corner play, Millard will quickly pass the ball from the sideline to the top of the penalty circle, where Condie has to completely stop the ball. She then dishes the ball to a teammate for a hard shot on net.
Against Indiana, Millard and Condie found their niche, as the Cats converted three penalty corners with both players notching three assists.
Millard, a defender, says she is thrilled to be in the offensive scoring unit as both of her goals this season have been on put-backs from penalty corners. Condie has been practicing her ball-stopping skills since freshman year for this opportunity and she relishes the key role.
“The penalty corner works well because we’ve practiced it a lot,” Condie said. “I’ve gotten use to (Millard’s) rhythm. The corner offense has greatly improved over the season.”
LONG DISTANCE: Didio participated in the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, her fourth. The marathon’s Web site listed her finish at 5:03.41.
“It was a motivational thing all year for me,” Didio said. “My (running) teammates helped me get through the last five miles.”
