Senior midfielder Jenn Budney and senior forward Allison Haynes are leaders of the field hockey team. Budney is a co-captain this season and Haynes is leading the Cardinals in scoring.
They both have a competitiveness and intensity that compels them to win. That drive to win is a big reason the team, in the first half of this season, has already matched its win total from last year.
Their competitiveness led to disappointment in the 2000 and 2001 seasons, however. Both Budney and Haynes suffered serious injuries in 2000 that affected their play in 2001. Although they say they are still bothered by the pain, the two play through it as best they can.
Budney came to the team as a freshman in 1998 and started all 19 games. In her sophomore season, she fractured a vertebra in her back, but played through the injury, starting seven of the 14 games in which she participated
Following the 1999 season, in July of 2000, she had surgery to repair the bone in her back. To do so, doctors took a bone from her hip and fused it to her vertebrae. She was redshirted and sat out the entire 2000 season to recover.
Budney was back last season, but suffered pain from the injury. Still hampered by the first injury, she fractured a bone in her shin in a game last year. While the injury was not season-ending, Budney was held to 16 games and four starts.
Haynes suffered a similar injury in the 2000 season. Just three games into her first season, she fractured her shin bone. Her injury differed from Budney's in that a piece of the bone got into Haynes' ACL, and she tore the ligament.
Haynes spent the rest of the season on the sidelines with Budney.
Although both played the majority of last season, neither was at full-strength. That may have been a factor in the team's 6-13 record.
Budney and Haynes are almost back to full-strength this season, but both say there still feel pain from their injuries, almost two years later.
"I feel pain in my shin every game," Budney said, "but I play through it."
Despite the pain, the two are arguably the most influential players on this year's squad.
Haynes leads the team in points, shots and minutes this season. Last year she was ranked No.16 in the nation in goals per game at 0.72. While Budney leads more with her leadership than her offense, she is third on the team in points and shots and ranks second in assists.
The two seniors are not thankful for their injury by any means, but said sitting out a year had some positives. It helped them mature as players and allowed them to play better when they came back.
"We sat out together and learned by watching," Budney said. "It helped us learn patience."
"We observed a lot," Haynes said. "It was easier to fit into the team's offense once we came back."
As the two sat out together, they came together both as teammates and as friends. Budney said being together and learning together helped them play together once they recovered.
"It helped us mentally to sit out together," Budney said. "We rehabbed together and taped each other up. We bonded."
"We both wanted to play, so we knew what the other was going through," Haynes added.
Field hockey head coach Jen Halliday said Budney and Haynes' success this season is a testament to their toughness. She said that toughness spreads to other players, inspiring them to play through pain.
"(Budney and Haynes) are both still recovering from complicated injuries, but they're dedicated to be part of this team," Halliday said. "They're making an impact and sacrificing. That shows a lot to the younger players."
Budney agreed that playing with a good attitude is important to team morale.
"It's very important to show others that we'll still work hard and that we value the team over ourselves," Budney said.
Even though the pain can be great, the two said they know they have to keep going. It is their job as team players. They said it takes a lot of ice and no painkillers to do so.
"I take it one day at a time," Haynes said. "I just think '35 minutes and I'll be through this half.'"
Maybe the most important result of the injuries is not what they learned about each other or the team, but what each found out about herself.
"I didn't used to consider myself tough," Budney said. "I always wondered if I was. Now I know I am."
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