Conqu'ring Heroes: O'Neill, Spieker on Thriving Under Pressure of Expectations
10/7/2021 9:34:00 AM | Field Hockey, Features
We focus on Michigan's unbeaten field hockey team this week, as Jon catches up with captains Halle O'Neill and Anna Spieker. O'Neill discusses the team's strong start to the season and reflects on her time at Michigan as a student and an athlete. Then, Spieker talks about her role as a captain and a leader and managing the expectations of being one of the top teams in the nation.
By Kyle Terwillegar
In the past two weeks, the No. 2-ranked University of Michigan field hockey team has posted wins over No. 25 Michigan State, No. 23 Kent State and No. 18 Ohio State. The two weekends coming up for the undefeated 9-0 Wolverines may prove even more difficult as tussles with No. 6 Northwestern, No. 3 Louisville and No. 1 Iowa are on the docket.
It is a difficult stretch of scheduling by any objective measure, and one that could be made even more challenging by the weight of expectation created from both the Wolverines' success this fall and their run to the pandemic-delayed 2020 NCAA Tournament final last spring.
"I think everyone is really soaking it all in," fifth-year team captain Halle O'Neill told host Jon Jansen on the latest episode of the "Conqu'ring Heroes" podcast. "But with that comes having a big target on our back, and it's something we're all well aware of.
"That's a huge part of what we have talked about every day, that we came off of a great season last season, and now we have a lot to prove," fellow team captain Anna Spieker, the goalkeeper who along with O'Neill leads a Michigan defense that is ranked among the best in the nation, added in a separate interview with Jansen on Conqu'ring Heroes. "And that is a huge amount of pressure. But we also just know that we have a great team and we have fun together. And whatever happens, we stay together and we stay positive."
Awareness of the pressure and their perception among other teams nationally is one thing; setting those factors aside and just playing field hockey is another matter, and it's one O'Neill believes she and her teammates have figured out to this point.
"I think we just try to not focus on the target as much and just kind of go out and play our game," she said. "When we play our game we play our best, and when we're worried and stressed out about the big target or being ranked No. 2, you know, things won't always go our way.
"We just kind of take it day by day. Friday, we'll focus on Northwestern and then we'll worry about Louisville and playing them on Sunday. Just taking it day-by-day and not looking too far into the rankings and the stuff that comes with all that."
Both O'Neill and Speiker, as well as the team as a whole, believe that the hard work and focus put into everything they do now will be a much better indicator of future success than any past results or national rankings.
"Our head coach (Marcia Pankratz) always preaches that it's about the process and not the outcome," Spieker said. "Of course, we want to win and we want to do well in everything. But at the end of the day, we want to get better every single game and make sure we make it into the tournament and play really well.
"We have big goals ahead of us, and I'm confident we can make them. We just have to stay focused ... that's the biggest issue at the moment is all the pressure that's on our shoulders. It's definitely not an easy thing. But we have a great team and we have a lot of good players and we have a strong team bond. I think if we do our thing and have fun, and stay strong as a team together, I think we can make it happen and things will go our way."
