At a school that boasts sophomore phenoms throughout its athletic department, it comes as no shocker that the No. 7 Penn State women's field hockey team has one of its own.
To compete with other sophomore athletes, like women's volleyball's Nicole Fawcett, men's soccer's Jason Yeisely and football's Derrick Williams, sophomore defender Jen Long has stepped into her role on the field and shown a standard of excellence that helped lead the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten title last year.
"You want to play to be like her. Not like her, but you rise because you see how she is playing," senior co-captain Carey Maser said. "She brings a greater level and greater presence to our game."
When Long, one of the top recruits of 2005, chose Penn State, it looked as though the gods were shining down on the Lions. Even without one minute of playing time in her collegiate career, Long had already garnered a multitude of honors from her days playing at Central Bucks East in Doylestown, Pa.
These awards included first team Pennsylvania All-State honors her sophomore and senior years, C.B. East's 2005 Female Athlete of the Year and being named to the U.S. Under-21 National Team in 2004. The Lions were expecting a great athlete with a lot of poise and presence on the field and they have not been disappointed.
"She's highly respected. She's got an amazing amount of individual skill and talent," Penn State women's field hockey coach Char Morett said. "She's just a pleasure to coach because she's just so hungry to learn and is always looking to challenge her skills."
Long joined a team that was already strong in the backfield with Sara Cahill, Molly Schriver and Maser. Her talent, however, was so advanced that she quickly won a starting position on the defense as sweeper. She became the only freshman to start every game on a Penn State team that won 17 straight games last year.
Despite starting as a freshman in the backfield, Long's skills immediately put everyone at ease. She helped the Lions to a No. 3 ranking in scoring defense, allowing an average of .99 goals per game. Even with her advanced skills, Long was constantly looking for ways to improve and found role models in older girls on the team, especially Cahill.
"Sara's aggressiveness -- it's something that everyone would love to play with," Long said. "I was like, I want to play more like that. I want to be aggressive. I want to be in the opponent's face, trying to get the ball away. She never backed down. For me as a freshman, that was something to admire about her that I really looked up to and wanted to do for the team."
Long, affectionately called J Lo. by her teammates, has a passion for the game and a drive to improve. This has not gone unnoticed by her coach or her teammates, both of whom look to her as a role model and leader on the field.
With the loss of both Schriver and Cahill to graduation, the only two returning starters are Maser and Long. Both players, however, have stepped up their role in the backfield to help the new defenders, freshmen Laura Cahill and Bethany Marvel, feel comfortable on the field and to get them indoctrinated into the ways of Penn State field hockey.
"She is usually the last one to leave the field at the end of the day. She just loves the game. She has a passion for the game and that's what is neat about her," Morett said. "She does very subtle things with the ball that I would like to see more players do and hopefully watching her they can learn from it."
Long's background in high school also includes four years of playing sweeper in soccer, which taught her see the field, envision passes and control the game. Morett referred to her as "the quarterback of the team" and Long admits that playing soccer has helped her become more vocal in the backfield, and given her a chance to organize the gameplan.
"On this team, I noticed that we needed more talking from the back and more organization so I just stepped into that role. It wasn't anything pushed upon me, it just kind of happened," Long said. "I like to be organized and it just helps the play and the flow of the team so much better."
With Long organizing the game from the backfield, the Lions are much more confident and aggressive. Maser feels that she, along with her teammates, raise their level of play when they know Long is there to protect them.
"She just adds confidence to all our backs and all of our midfielders and forwards to know that you can look to attack and look to go up and take those chances because she is back for you," Maser said.
Despite only being a sophomore, the future of both Penn State field hockey and Long's career looks promising. For the second year in a row, Long and fellow teammate Allie Scola, were named to the U.S. Under-21 National Team. Long had a chance to spend her summer in Virginia Beach, Va., where the national training center is located. She played with athletes from around the country, picking up new skills and sharpening her own.
"When we get on a different team, you learn other people's different skills and you pick things up. For me, it was a really good opportunity to grow and learn more things," Long said. "I try to bring things back that I learn that I think will be helpful for our team. The slightest things seriously make the biggest difference in this game."
Long, like most collegiate field hockey players, dreams of playing on the national team and maybe even going to the Olympics. She admits that it is going to take a lot of hard work and determination to reach her goal, but she is up to the challenge.
Her coach and teammates, however, know that she is on the right track to becoming one of the next great field hockey players and have no doubts that she will reach her goal. Her future, as they see it, is bright.
"National team. Hands down, I don't think there is an issue or question," Maser said. "She is on the right path and I think that it's something she wants. She can easily do it, so she should go for it."
