Michigan field hockey star Lora Clarke fueling national championship aspirations
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (BVM) 鈥� The transition from high school field hockey in Northeast Ohio to playing in the Big Ten and the NCAA tournament required adjustments from Lora Clarke, who was fresh off of a Northeast Ohio Field Hockey Player of the Year Award and two state championship games at Shaker Heights High School.听
Players that are recruited to top collegiate field hockey programs such as Michigan primarily play center defensive midfield for their high school teams because they are some of the top players on the field at that level. When Clarke arrived in Ann Arbor, she would have to adjust to a brand new position.
鈥淲hen you all come together on the same college team, you have to learn the new systems, and learn the new position that you鈥檙e playing,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥淚 played center mid for as long as I could remember, and then I was thrown into playing forward, which was definitely a huge transition. Maybe the biggest transition was that in the Big Ten, it is very physical. Even when you play ACC teams in the NCAA tournament, they鈥檙e not quite as physical.鈥�
Clarke was able to make the transition and has already experienced tremendous team and individual success in her first two years on campus. Discussing the proudest moments of her collegiate career so far, Clarke mentioned the deciding goal that she scored to win the Big Ten Tournament in her freshman season.
鈥淚t was such an amazing experience to be able to hold the trophy and see everyone鈥檚 big smiles celebrating what we had worked together to accomplish,鈥� Clarke said.
Later in her freshman year, Clarke helped Michigan reach the NCAA Tournament championship game against the then two-time defending champion North Carolina Tar Heels, marking Michigan鈥檚 deepest tournament run in 20 years. It was there that they experienced heartbreak, narrowly losing 4-3 in overtime.听
鈥淭hat was definitely the coolest experience in field hockey that I鈥檝e ever been a part of,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥淲e almost weren鈥檛 allowed to have fans at the championship game due to Covid, but UNC ended up having that restriction lifted. There were probably 5,000-7,000 people there, and seeing that many people come together for the sport of field hockey was truly surreal. I was obviously really upset after the game because we lost.
鈥淗owever, the entire community [back home] really got behind me, and that was really uplifting. Most people will never get to play in the national championship, and yes it was an incredible experience to get to play, but just to see the people that stood with me and supported me was surreal.鈥�
Michigan seniors Sofia Southam and Kathryn Peterson both graduated after their seasons in 2021, meaning that Clarke will be the Wolverines鈥� highest returning scorer from last season. Clarke understands that there will be a need to replace that goal scoring, and knows the improvements that she has to make in order to do so.
鈥淐oming into this year, one of my biggest goals is to capitalize more on goal scoring opportunities,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥�I鈥檓 very good at drawing penalty corners, but I want to take it one step further this year and challenge myself to finish and score more goals. I鈥檝e challenged myself before to take my game to the next level and definitely think that it is something I can accomplish.鈥�听
Rather than acting in the role of a team captain, Clarke wants to allow everyone on the team to lead, emphasizing the comfort of her teammates. She believes that a team that is comfortable playing together can maximize its potential.
鈥淚 will definitely have additional leadership responsibilities for next season,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥�I think everyone is a leader in their own way on the team and we鈥檝e always voiced that within the program of Michigan field hockey. I just want to make sure everyone feels included and that they are worthy of being on the team. Once you get that confidence rolling, everyone will play better鈥 have a really good feeling about this upcoming year.鈥�
Clarke has big goals for the trophies that she wants to win before she graduates. While she has helped Michigan win the Big Ten in the regular season and conference tournament, the NCAA title has remained elusive. The team as a whole is working to accomplish that lofty goal and Clarke will have to be at her best to make it possible.
鈥淟ast year we had a target on our back, especially in Big Ten play because we had made it so far in my freshman year,鈥� Clarke said. 鈥�I really want to win the Big Ten again; I know that we can, and we were very close last year鈥e have a very talented group of girls, but also a very versatile group. We have a very deep squad, with people ready to rise to the occasion, which was very transparent during offseason practices.
鈥淚f everyone rises to the occasion, which I know that they will, we are going to have a really good year. I really want to win the national championship in my time at Michigan鈥nd I do think that鈥檚 a realistic expectation for us.鈥澨�
