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SPRINGFIELD — There was a ray of sunshine here Saturday afternoon in an otherwise stormy week for the Missouri State field hockey program.
The team’s annual alumni game at Betty and Bobby Allison North Stadium brought out a strong showing of MSU students, alumni, parents and supporters to watch the program’s final home event after it was announced Monday that the sport would be discontinued as part of department budget reduction.
“I think today was a great day of celebration for these players,” said the team’s head coach Catherine Ostoich. “They have been through a very tough week, so I am glad that they were able to make one last good memory on this field.
“I am so so proud of these strong young women, and I know they will bounce back from this. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to coach them.”
The MSU field hockey program began in 1966 and tallied 458 wins in its 52-year run. Its most notable milestone was a 1979 AIAW Division II national championship under coach Rhonda Ridinger. Ridinger led the Bears back to the national championship game in 1980 as part of a national runner-up finish.
The Bears will play their final spring exhibition — and thus the program’s final game — on April 22 at Iowa.
“I hope these young ladies are able to look back on today with pride and happiness,” said Ostoich who was hired as the program’s ninth head coach on Feb. 4, 2016. “They are a great group of women, and they should hold their heads high. I hope one day they will look back on their time here and smile. I am grateful our paths crossed for this short amount of time.”
