As goalkeeper for the Royals lacrosse team, Cristal Narciso has to be quick on her feet. The rising senior operates like a football quarterback, directing her teammates and communicating to them where the ball is. At the same time, she’s blocking shots zooming toward her at 60 to 70 mph. Many of those shots deflect off her helmet and body.

“When the ball hits you, it makes a pretty big impact,” Narciso said. “But, at the end of the day, I’d rather have a bruise than to let the ball go into the net.”

As EMU’s young lacrosse program prepares to enter its sixth season, the fearless goalie, her mentor and head coach Mikaela “Mik” Brooks, and the rest of their talented team aim to improve from previous seasons and stay competitive in conference play.

Goalie from the Golden State

Narciso, a first-team all-league athlete at her high school in Val Verde, California, hadn’t planned on playing lacrosse in college. But when a coach on her team convinced her to sign up for a recruiting site, and Narciso began hearing from interested college lacrosse coaches, she reconsidered. One of those coaches, reaching out from the opposite side of the country, was former EMU head lacrosse coach Katie Russo.

After several virtual meetings with Russo, as well as one with the rest of the team, and an in-person visit to EMU’s campus, Narciso was sold. She said the school’s close-knit community and its scenic grounds were especially alluring. It also didn’t hurt that the lacrosse program, which had only started at EMU the year prior, needed a goalkeeper.

“I liked the fact that I would be a part of building a program and could make an impact here,” said Narciso, who is majoring in social work.

Like her goalie, Brooks was drawn to EMU by its sense of belonging and the growth potential of the young lacrosse program.

“I felt like the program would take a while to grow, but I love being that gritty person who puts in the hard work to develop something and see it come to fruition,” she said.

Brooks, a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, played on the inaugural girl’s lacrosse team at her high school and was part of an effort that introduced the sport to schools in her area. She was a standout goalie for Bridgewater College women’s lacrosse from 2018-21.

While a senior at Bridgewater, Brooks led the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) in save percentage and was second in total saves. Her 412 career saves rank ninth in BC program history. Before graduating in 2021, the two-time All-ODAC athlete was hired by Russo, coincidentally her neighbor, as a graduate assistant for EMU. Brooks took the reins as interim head coach when Russo stepped down in October 2022 and was named head coach in June 2023. She completed her master’s degree in organizational leadership at EMU last year.

“I didn’t think I would be at EMU at 25 as a head coach,” Brooks said, “but life works in mysterious ways.”

This past spring, the team posted a 3-11 record with wins over Waynesburg University and ODAC rival Randolph College. It’s been a tall order competing against teams that have been around for a half-century, so Brooks has been hard at work. She’s focused on building up her players holistically, developing them not only as athletes but also as leaders off the field.

Home field disadvantage

One significant challenge to the team’s success has been the condition of the aging turf field that they call home. The field, which was last replaced in 2006, is now the age of two usable lifetimes and needs replacing. The suboptimal playing surface has rips and wrinkles, dips and divots, and lacks the cushion it should have.

When she’s in the goal cage, Narciso has to react quickly to incoming shots. The worn-out turf can make it difficult for her to find her footing and can make bounces unpredictable, leading to goals that she might’ve blocked on a newer field.

A new turf field would not only help athletes like Narciso perform at their best and reduce the risk of injuries, but also would aid in recruiting prospective student-athletes. Narciso said a new field would show that the school is invested in its athletics.

“We want our recruits to see that when they come to EMU, they’re entering a space that’s taken care of,” she said.

Her coach agreed, noting that a new surface would help her players recover faster between games and after injuries.

“EMU can show it has bought into its athletics department,” Brooks said. “It will be huge to show athletes that we see them, we hear their concerns, we’re supporting them in the best way we know how, and we’re going to give them the best opportunities they have to be successful here.”

The school aims to complete the much-needed Turf Field Project this summer, but it needs support from donors to make it a reality.

Support our student-athletes and a new turf field through an immediate gift or multi-year commitment. Give today at or contact kirk.shisler@emu.edu for more details.

Turning the corner

During her first year at EMU, Narciso battled feelings of homesickness and struggled with her studies. Lacrosse, she said, kept her focused, developed her leadership skills, and helped her grow. Now a straight-A student, Narciso serves as president of the Latinx Student Alliance (LSA). She said she can always count on her coach to help with whatever problems she might be facing.

“I feel like we both grew up together, in a way,” Narciso said. “I’ve told her, ‘I can’t believe you’ve turned into the person you’ve become,’ and she’s said the same thing to me.”

When ��ݮ���� built a turf field in 1989, it became the first school in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) to do so. EMU’s field hockey athletes, who began playing on the field that fall, welcomed the switch from grass to artificial turf. The new surface complemented the speedy and skilled set of players; they could move the ball up the pitch faster and with more control and pass and shoot with more accuracy and power. The other schools in the ODAC were less than thrilled with the change, recounts Sandy Brownscombe, coach of the EMU team from 1978-93.

“Everybody was upset,” she said. “They thought we had an unfair advantage. There was even discussion that we shouldn’t be allowed to host the conference tournament if we were the No. 1 seed.”

Fortunately, for EMU and for the future of field hockey, those discussions soon ground to a halt. Eventually, the other ODAC schools, as well as countless high schools and colleges across the country, installed turf fields for their own field hockey programs.

“It’s the way the game was meant to be played,” Brownscombe said.

A sport with success

EMU’s turf field, along Park Road north of Suter Science Center, has witnessed the school’s leading scorers and legendary goalkeepers play on its pitch. Field hockey has more athletes inducted in EMU’s Hall of Honor (18 players) and more teams in the hall (two: the 1980 and 1995 squads) than any other sport at the school. By comparison, men’s soccer, which has the second-most inductees, has 12 players and one team in the hall. Two coaches who led the field hockey program, Brownscombe and Miriam “Mim” Mumaw ‘61, are also in the hall.

EMU field hockey teams have won 11 ODAC titles and appeared at 11 national tournaments (two Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women [AIAW] and nine National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] tournaments). The 1995 team, which advanced further than any other in school history, competed in the final four of the NCAA Division III field hockey tournament and placed third in the country.

From 1979 to 2003, Royals field hockey celebrated an unparalleled streak of success with teams advancing every year during those 25-seasons to the final four of their conference—the Virginia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (VAIAW) from 1979-81 and the ODAC from 1982-2003. For six straight seasons, from 1995 to 2000, EMU field hockey went undefeated in ODAC play. (The 1987 and 2007 teams were also undefeated in the ODAC.)

An era begins

Field hockey’s start in America is credited to Constance Applebee who played the sport in England and introduced it while on a tour of northeastern U.S. women’s colleges in 1901. She served as athletic director of Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania from 1904-28 and co-founded the American Field Hockey Association.

It began as a club sport at EMU in 1970 under Mumaw, a trailblazing athletic director who coached the women’s basketball (1966-75) and women’s volleyball (1968-79) teams.

Before that, students interested in field hockey like Fannie Bomberger Miller ‘71 played on area club teams composed of coaches from nearby schools and colleges.

“When I would tell kids from Virginia that I played hockey, they were like, ‘What’s that?’” said Miller, who came to EMU from Manheim, Pennsylvania.

She played on the Shenandoah Valley club team from 1967-68. By the time EMU fielded its own team, Miller said, she was too busy with her nursing coursework to join.

A group of students from the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area had played field hockey in high school and wanted to start a team at EMU, Mumaw said. So, she volunteered to get them started, serving as inaugural coach for that first season. Field hockey became a varsity sport at EMU in 1971, with coach Dianne Gates taking the helm for four years.

“I was more of a faculty adviser than a coach,” Mumaw said. “Dianne’s the one who developed the program.”

The Title IX Act of 1972 mandated equal funding for women’s sports. “A lot of the expansion in women’s athletics came from that,” Mumaw said. “We were fortunate to have Madison College (now JMU) and Bridgewater College close by because we could play them in almost any sport.”

In those days, EMU’s women athletes competed in the AIAW. EMU became one of the founding members of the ODAC in 1976, beginning with men’s sports. ODAC added women’s sports in 1982.

When Mumaw left EMU in 1979 for a sabbatical-turned-permanent residency in Washington, D.C, she rented out her basement to Brownscombe for a year. Brownscombe, who also coached the women’s basketball (1978-89) and men’s volleyball (1991-98) teams, led the field hockey program for 16 seasons.

The 1980 team

For as long as EMU has fielded a team—and even longer, Pennsylvania and the Lancaster region has been a hotbed of field hockey talent. As a coach, Brownscombe ran a field hockey camp at Camp Hebron (Pennsylvania) during the summers that helped to recruit players to EMU. In fact, a majority of the players throughout EMU’s history began playing the sport in high schools around Pennsylvania.

“The rest of the hockey world had not figured out, until we started getting really good, how great these Lancaster County girls were,” Brownscombe said. “Then they began to realize, ‘Oh, these kids are great players, they’re great people, and they’re great students.’”

For an example of their integrity, look no further than the 1980 AIAW regional tournament match between EMU and Mary Washington. That game ended in a 0-0 tie, and both teams headed to a separate practice field for penalty strokes. When a Mary Washington player took her first penalty stroke, the ball slipped past EMU goalkeeper Shirley Yoder Faust and through a hole in the net. The umpire, unaware of the hole, signaled a missed shot. It was then, Brownscombe said, that Faust approached the umpire and pointed out the hole.

“They came up to me, and the umpire asked, ‘Why would your goalie tell me it was a goal when I said it wasn’t?’” Brownscombe said. “Shirley looked at me and said, ‘Because it’s the truth,’ and the official just shook her head.”

That 1980 team, which went on to win those penalty strokes, finished third at the state tournament and second at the regional tournament. That year marked the first time Royals field hockey, or any sports team at the school, would qualify for a national tournament. It finished 13th and was inducted in the Hall of Honor in 2012.

“The players on that team saw the transition of field hockey at EMU from just another team to one that had to be reckoned with,” Brownscombe said.

The ‘hay’ days of hockey

Before the turf field arrived on campus, the field hockey players practiced and played on a grass field that ran from the top of the tennis courts to the physical plant, through what is now the softball field.

Brownscombe recalled regularly painting lines on the field with the soccer coach, whose field was next to them, where the new track complex is. One year, she said, her players arrived at the field and found the grass so long it looked like hay.

“Fortunately, one of the captains had worked at the physical plant all summer and was allowed to drive a truck, so the other players could throw the grass in it,” she said. “Sure, it was frustrating, but that’s what we did.”

Field hockey and soccer players often had to stop practices for cross-country meets, which ran right across the 50-yard line of our grass fields. When they did get to play, it was in front of a passionate group of fans: the boys in the three-story Oakwood dormitory.

“They were rowdy,” Brownscombe said. “They would be watching out their windows and be shouting at the players.”

The ’90s teams

Tina Book ‘91 played on the field hockey team for four seasons in the late 1980s and returned to coach the team in 1994 after Brownscombe left. She remembered playing on the turf field the first year it was installed.

“It made the game faster, and it also allowed us to score more,” the 1989 ODAC Player of the Year said. “I feel like we were so adaptive to the turf.”

Indeed, all of the top scorers in the EMU record books—players like Jeané Horning Hershey ‘94—made their mark on the turf. Hershey, once the career record leader in goals and points scored, now ranks sixth in career goals and eighth in career points at EMU.

In 1992 and 1993, the Royals defeated rival and perennial ODAC powerhouse Lynchburg College in back-to-back conference finals matches to advance to the first round of the national tournament. It was the start of seven national tournament appearances that decade. (The Royals returned to the national tournament in 2000 and 2003.)

“We had a good camaraderie, and I don’t remember any drama,” Hershey said. “I just remember working hard and doing the best we could.”

Former goalkeeper Jen Kooker Peifer ’96, who played on the team from 1992-95, held the career saves record for 23 years before it was broken in 2018 by Kelsey Troyer. Peifer’s career save percentage record (89.8 percent) remains intact. She was inducted in the Hall of Honor as an athlete and as a member of the 1995 team.

That ‘95 squad posted a remarkable 21-2 overall record, an 8-0 conference record and a historic run to the final four at nationals. “I think that’s one of the best teams that EMU has ever had in any sport,” Peifer said.

‘Small but mighty’

When Kristina Landis Yoder ’09 joined the field hockey team in 2006, she had heard all about its history of success.

“There was definitely a sense of honor in carrying on those traditions,” she said. “We always had pride in being a small but mighty team.”

Yoder recounted starting each morning of preseason practice with a three-mile run, followed by three practices held throughout the day. During her playing career, from 2006-08, the team led by coach Brenda Bechler made it to the ODAC finals every year only to be defeated by Lynchburg each time. Their first meeting, in 2006, ended in a tie and went into a second overtime before Lynchburg prevailed in penalty strokes.

“I don’t think there was any other game in my career that all of us played so hard and ran so hard,” she said. “That year, they didn’t expect us to make it that far, and we did. It was exhilarating and fun and by far the most memorable game I’ve ever played.”

A bright future

In February 2024, Chardonnay “Char” Hope took the reins as the new field hockey coach. She succeeds Ashley “Stick” Kishorn, who had coached the team since 2017.

Prior to coming to EMU, Hope was the head field hockey coach at ODAC school Ferrum College. She said she had researched the Royals’ success, and it was what drew her to taking the job.

“A championship history and a winning mindset is embedded in the roots of this program,” Hope said. “There are many athletes and coaches who have paved the way for our current team and me.”

Turf as old as time

The EMU turf field has a rich history. Its playing surface, which was last replaced in 2006, is now used by the men’s and women’s soccer teams and women’s lacrosse team, in addition to the field hockey team. But, after 18 years of dutiful service, it’s showing its age. The turf no longer has the same bounce or cushion it once had. Sections of the surface are peeling away, presenting a safety hazard to the athletes who use it.

“Replacing the turf field is absolutely necessary to avoid injuries and attract the level of players that will build a winning team,” Hershey said.

Peifer agreed with her former teammate: “If you want athletes to come to EMU, having top-tier athletic facilities is paramount. When they’re touring schools, the facilities that impress them play a big part in where they want to go.”

The turf field, one of the oldest in the ODAC, has lived nearly two industry-standard lives. The school is set to install new carpet and a top-of-the-line pad this summer. EMU Athletics Director Carrie Bert said the new and improved field will be “visually appealing and, more importantly, provide more consistent ball play and a significantly safer experience for athletes and officials.”

Support our student-athletes and a new turf field through an immediate gift or multi-year commitment. Give today at emu.edu/turf-field, or contact kirk.shisler@emu.edu for more details.

The bleachers were purchased from James Madison University (JMU) earlier this summer and will place 1,000 fans right on top of the field.

Long-time men’s soccer coach Roger Mast, who spearheaded the acquisition and installation of the bleachers, is excited for the atmosphere the addition will provide.

“I’m thankful to JMU that they provided us with the opportunity to take advantage of their bleachers, which they were no longer using,” said Mast. “We’ve been looking to upgrade the turf field to more of a stadium-type feel for many years, so we’re very excited for that additional seating space.”

Already with a top-of-the-line synthetic playing surface, lights and some of the biggest home crowds in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC), the new bleachers succeed in creating an even better crowd atmosphere right at midfield and will continue to give the Royals one of the premier soccer/field hockey complexes in the ODAC.

Director of Athletics Dave King said Royals fans have been patient in the improvement process.

“Adding amenities such as bleacher seating and storage has been a goal of the university since the turf field was replaced in 2006,” King said, “but there always seemed to be more things on the priority list and spectators were willing to stand or sit in their lawn chairs. I am grateful that this opportunity came along for us and I’m sure our fans will enjoy being able to sit in a prime location to see the action.”

Last fall, the EMU soccer men were 18th in the nation, and fourth among ODAC schools, with a total attendance of 4,031 fans at 10 home games. The Royals averaged 403 per game, which was 19th in D-III.

“The community has been extremely supportive of us,” Mast explained. “In comparison to other schools within the conference, we’ve been able to attract some really good crowd support for our home games, and we hope that those attendance numbers might even increase now.”

The bleachers, which are 10 rows deep, had been used on the varsity soccer field at James Madison until this past year, when the school built a new athletics complex. With the original soccer field no longer being used for varsity games, JMU put the bleachers for sale at a reasonable price.

Eastern Mennonite researched their condition, including safety check records, as well as necessary city permits and the insurance implications of re-installing them on campus. After originally backing away from the project due to a lack of funds, EMU had a renewed interest this spring when funds became available.

“I am very thankful for the leadership and hard work that Coach Roger Mast gave to the project,” King said. “He and (Physical Plant Director) Eldon Kurtz are responsible for organizing the volunteer labor, engineering the plan for the move and carrying out the details. Roger nearly single-handedly took care of the re-assembling of the bleachers on our site. I’m grateful for his passion for the project and the leadership he gave. We look forward to putting these bleachers to good use as the fall seasons of soccer and field hockey begin in late August.”

This first home game on the turf field will be Sept. 7, when the Ferrum College. The is Sept. 11 against Lebanon Valley, while Sept. 14 against Mary Washington.

The prominent bright green turf field that served multiple purposes for athletic programs at EMU was replaced this summer after 17 years of heavy use.

A celebrative dedication ceremony takes place Sept. 2 on EMU’s newly-replaced turf field.
Photo by Jim Bishop

EMU coaching staff, student athletes, donors and parents gathered on the field for a brief, celebrative program that included reflections on the old turf and the completion of the new.

“This [new] field will become one of the central hubs of campus community, creating enthusiasm and excitement for life on campus,” EMU athletic director David A. King told the gathering.

King thanked the university administration for “making the bold step of moving this turf project to the top of the facilities improvement list on campus.” He praised Eldon Kurtz, director of physical plant for “willingness to work cooperatively with the athletic department in finding efficient ways to complete the project economically,” to subcontractors Maust Enterprises and Goods Services and to “everyone who helped remove the old turf and joined in making this project a success.”

Replacement is a ‘Major Step’

King said the replacement of the old turf is “yet another major step toward the development of greater community envisioned for the EMU campus and the larger Rockingham County area.

“We’re keenly aware already of the power this facility has in drawing people together for wholesome recreation, family time, social interaction and athletic competition.”

The new turf field will be used for EMU women’s field hockey and men’s soccer contests, Ultimate Frisbee, an over-30 men’s soccer league being formed, intramurals and the Shenandoah Summer Soccer League, King noted.

Webb Cook, vice president of sales for A-Turf of Cheektowaga, N.Y., the firm that did the installation, noted that he’s “never before seen the athletic director of a college so ‘hands-on’ in a project, literally helping to remove the old turf.”

Kirk L. Shisler, vice president for advancement at EMU, thanked the more than 50 individuals and businesses who have contributed some $410,000 to date toward the $500,000 project. He said he expects the remainder of the needed funds to be raised by the end of 2006.

Brenda K. Bechler, current head field hockey coach, said the old bright green AstroTurf had become “an icon of EMU field hockey, helping enhance level of play regardless of the surface.”

During the past 17 years, EMU advanced to the Old Dominion Athletic Association (ODAC) championship game 11 times, bringing home nine conference titles. EMU had a third-place finish in the nationals in 1998 and ranked #1 in the nation for most of the 1999 season, she noted.

“With this new field, we’re ready for a new era. We are grateful for another opportunity to show the community what EMU field hockey is all about,” Bechler said.

Senior team co-captain Lisa L. Heavener echoed Bechler’s sentiments in thanking coaches, fellow players and donors “for providing a place where freshman and seniors can become close friends, for a field that enables this group of players to learn lessons and skills that will be carried with them throughout life and for the opportunity to join a team who lifts each other spiritually, leads each other through example and holds each other accountable.”

EMU President Loren Swartzendruber led a prayer of dedication to close the ceremony.

EMU played its first home field hockey contest on the new field that afternoon and blanked Dickinson College of Carlisle, Pa., 3-0.

For only the second time in the last four years, the Goshen (Ind.) College Maple Leafs and the ��ݮ���� Royals teams will face each other in varsity competition.

And, this time, they’ll play on EMU’s newly-replaced artificial turf field. Game time is 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16. It will be EMU’s first home game of the season.

Goshen College and EMU last met in soccer on Oct. 21, 2002 at Goshen, with EMU winning 4-0.

While the event will spotlight an inter-Mennonite competition, the emphasis will be on the opportunity afforded for alumni of the two schools to see their alma maters, according to Douglas J. Nyce, director of at EMU.

A reception for parents and alumni of both schools, sponsored by Mennonite Mutual Aid, will follow the game.

The athletic directors of Goshen, Ken Pletcher, and EMU, David A. King, will be on hand to unveil future plans for using sporting events between Mennonite schools to promote Mennonite higher education.

“This is a great way to open the men’s soccer season on the new turf field,” King said. “The atmosphere should be electric, and I anticipate a great time of making connections, reuniting with friends and celebrating all the good that can come from athletics, whether one is a player or fan,” he added.

Admission to the game is free.

The new artificial turf field at ��ݮ���� will be dedicated in a public ceremony 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 2.

The prominent bright green turf field that served multiple purposes for athletic programs at EMU was replaced this summer after 17 years of heavy use.

The program will include: a welcome from EMU President Loren Swartzendruber; an overview of the history of the first turf field and the need for a new one; comments from Webb Cook, representing Web Turf of Cheektowaga, N.Y., the company that did the installation; donor recognition; comments from this year’s players and EMU head field hockey coach Brenda Bechler and a prayer of dedication.

At 1 p.m., the EMU Lady Royals will face the Red Devils of Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., in field hockey, the second varsity game of the fall season to be played on the new field.

The original turf field, completed in 1989, was used by the EMU women

��ݮ���� is literally having the rug pulled out from under it, but few are complaining.

The prominent bright green turf field that has served multiple purposes for athletic programs at EMU is being replaced after 17 years.

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