Conqu'ring Heroes: Fronzoni Bertin Finds Special Moment Entering Hall of Honor with Family
11/2/2023 11:27:00 AM | Field Hockey
By Matthew Mahoney
For all of those that have had the distinction of being inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Honor, it is a special moment. For former U-M field hockey student-athlete April Fronzoni Bertin, being part of the Class of 2023 with her husband Ryan Bertin will be something their family will never forget.
"What makes it even more special is our kids and doing it as a family," said Fronzoni Bertin on the latest edition of the "Conqu'ring Heroes" podcast. "Yes, we're getting honored for things we did individually before we got together, but now collectively as mom and dad, husband and wife, and as a family, we get to go into the 2023 Hall of Honor together."
Not knowing her husband Ryan had also just received the same news, April was hesitant to call him thinking it may not go over well, but Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel suggested she do so anyway.
"I was thinking if Ryan was going to get inducted, too, Warde would've told me, but he was giving nothing up," Fronzoni Bertin said.
After calling Ryan and realizing that the two would go in together, "I hung up the phone without saying goodbye, called Warde back, and said 'I can't believe you didn't tell me.'"
Fronzoni Bertin may have met her future husband in Ann Arbor, but she also had one of the best careers in Michigan field hockey history. Over the course of her four years, she was a part of the 2001 national championship team, was named the 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year and the 2002 and 2003 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, was a three-time All-America honoree, and became the Wolverines lone repeat selection as one of the nation's top collegiate players as a two-time Honda-Broderick Award finalist.
En route to winning the national championship in 2001, Fronzoni Bertin and the Wolverines faced adversity throughout the season, finishing third in the Big Ten. However, that team had an immensely strong mentality and knew it had the ability to win it all.
"The 2001 season was up and down, said Fronzoni Bertin. "We never stopped believing in ourselves and what we could accomplish. We knew that even through the lulls in the season, that each one of us had a part to play in the success story. If each one of us kept grinding and bringing what we brought to the team, we would be standing raising that trophy over our heads."
The national championship win against Maryland was the culmination of that mentality. Against the favored Terrapins, Fronzoni Bertin and her teammates tapped into the team's identity and foundation to come out on top.
"What we had over Maryland and all the other teams, when it really came down to it, was determination, grit, unity, and leadership -- those things that really need to come out more than talent at times," Fronzoni Bertin said. "Everyone knew that if we continued to push the pace of the game and stay firm, that we were going to win that game."
The lessons learned from facing adversity both on and off the field while at Michigan is something that Fronzoni Bertin cherishes, where she was able to find the perfect place to grow as both a person and a player.
"Every moment in my life where I come up against adversity, it goes back to my Michigan days," she said. "(Michigan field hockey head coach) Marcia (Pankratz) held us to a higher standard, and I appreciate that higher standard to this day because life is tough, things aren't handed to you and you've got to work hard for what you want. You may not always get what you work hard for and what you want, and learning how to pick yourself back up and continue to carry on, I learned all of that through my time at Michigan."
Being inducted into the Michigan Hall of Honor is an opportunity for Fronzoni Bertin to share a special moment with her family, but it also has been a time for her to reflect on her time at Michigan and the immense success she had with the field hockey team.
"Such a wonderful part of my story," Fronzoni Bertin said. "The fact that I get to relive this and walk down memory lane is something truly special."
