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Athlete of the Week
By Kenny Hammond |
Christine Anthony, SM '01 Field hockey forward/midfielder Hometown: Oklahoma City, Okla. Height: 5'7" Favorite college sports teams: Oklahoma, Duke Superstition: Has worn the same bandana since the seventh grade. Nickname: Okie Most memorable injury: During her sophomore year, she was hit in the mouth by a ball and had to get stitches on both the inside and outside of her mouth. |
Last week, with the score tied at two in overtime, a Penn defender lunged but failed to intercept a pass to Yale's leading goal-scorer Christine Anthony, SM '01. She took advantage of the open field to drive the tie-breaking goal past Quaker goalie Katie Davis '03. The goal gave the Bulldogs their third win of the season (their first in three overtime games), and helped the team to close their home season in style. "I don't think I played that great of a game, but the goal definitely helped to erase some of my mistakes," Anthony said. Since there is no Ivy League tournament in field hockey, Anthony's varsity career will end this weekend against Brown. As the senior looked back fondly on four years of Yale hockey, instead of focusing on individual or team accomplishments, she remembered the bonds she has made through the sport. "More anything else, I enjoy the team camaraderie, the opportunity to spend time with my teammates and share experiences with them," she said. "Obviously, we can't really thrive on our record this year, so the most exciting part of the season is playing a sport I love with my closest friends."
As a youth, she was nationally ranked in tennis, and only picked up field hockey when she became slightly burned out from her first sport. As a senior, Anthony was captain of her high school field hockey, basketball, and tennis teams, garnering an All-Conference selection in all three. Despite her successes, Anthony sees herself as a role player. "Field hockey is a team game, and my job is to provide speed and score goals," she said. "Others make up for what I lack in defensive ability."
Anthony's sister Suzanne, SM '03, Yale's second-leading scorer, views her elder sister as a quintessential team player, "Christine is extremely dedicated and takes field hockey very seriously," Suzanne said. "She doesn't stand out on the field, but she works very well with all the players around her."
According to Christine, field hock-ey's season record is not indicative of its degree of talent. Yale played one of the toughest schedules in the country, and suffered a number of close defeats. Last weekend, against the No. 9 Virginia, Anthony scored to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead before two Cavalier goals in the final seven minutes stole the victory. Yale's first win, a 3-2 victory over Columbia, has been the highlight of the season thus far for her: "To come so close and finally to put one away gets the ball rolling."
Despite the constant recognition, Anthony likes to think of herself in terms of lesser known athletes. "My favorite athletes are Billy McCaffrey, Chris Collins, and Stefan Edberg," she said. "Most people haven't heard of the first two. I'm a big fan of the behind-the-scenes types, the people that get the job done and don't necessarily seek recognition for it." That certainly sounds familiar.
Photo by Katie Aldrich.
All materials © 2000 The Yale Herald, Inc., and its staff.
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