It hadn’t been a great day for the Wildcats: Minnesota was beating the Northwestern women’s basketball team by more than 30 points with less than a minute remaining, and there wasn’t much to cheer about.
But suddenly the crowd erupted with applause.
Why? Because NU field hockey star Suzi Sutton was entering the game.
The senior wasn’t lost. But now that her hockey career at NU is over, Sutton finally gets to pursue her dream of playing basketball — Wildcats coach June Olkowski gave her a spot as a walk-on.
Through 14 games, she’s played just six minutes. The only statistic she has tallied is an offensive rebound against Ohio State. But she fills her role well.
“Her strength is her understanding of the game,” coach June Olkowski said. “She understands exactly what we’re wanting and what we’re needing from her as a practice player. Everyone loves her and understands that she’s giving up her time because she really has a passion for the game and she really loves to be on a team.”
Practice and passion might just be the right combination for the Cats (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten), who travel to West Lafayette, Ind., on Thursday to take on No. 9 Purdue (12-2, 2-1).
Sutton came to NU from York, Pa., where she flourished in field hockey and basketball, earning conference MVP awards in both sports. But the 5-foot-5 athlete was recruited to play field hockey for the Cats.
“When I first got the job (at NU), she was going to be a high school senior and was playing in an AAU tournament,” Olkowski said. “The former field hockey coach had asked me to go check her out and see if she could play both sports.”
Sutton hoped to at least practice with the basketball team, but a rigorous winter field hockey practice schedule and fear of injury kept her away from the second sport she loved.
Luckily for Sutton, a relationship developed from meeting Olkowski, and the field hockey star found a basketball job sophomore year.
“When she came here, we built a relationship,” Olkowski said. “I made it a point to watch field hockey. She would always come in and say hello and when the opportunity came for her to be manager, she jumped at it.”
Through the winters of both her sophomore and junior years, Sutton balanced field hockey practice with managing the basketball team.
This year, after Sutton’s senior field hockey season came to a close, Olkowski was prepared to offer a spot on the team to someone who truly loves the game.
“I know her love is basketball, and I said, ‘If you’re interested in playing at the end of the hockey season, it’s yours. You’re a good kid, you’re a pleasure to be around, and I’d love to have you on the team.’ That’s how she got here,” Olkowski said.
Having established herself as a dominant senior leader in field hockey, serving mainly as a practice player for the basketball squad obviously is a different experience for Sutton.
“There are no expectations with this. My role on this team is to play hard and practice, and make other people work as hard as possible,” she said. “I didn’t expect to even walk on the floor one minute this year. Basically, I’m just really happy to have the opportunity to play.”
And there’s no way Sutton’s slowing down after basketball season.
During spring quarter, the senior plans to manage the softball team, plan the Relay for Life, and serve as president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
“I’m really psyched,” Sutton said. “I thrive on being hectic and busy with my schedule.”
