Out with one class and in with the next. Within a few months, the next class of Hamline athletes will be making their way through the doors of Walker and onto the field that they will soon call home. The process of getting them there has had to adapt to how the world is working these days. COVID-19 has made its way into yet another aspect of college life, athletic recruitment.

With everyone seeing fewer people, coaches have had to change their recruitment style. 

“In a normal year we would have had our roster solidified by March,”  Natalie Darwitz, head women’s hockey coach, said. 

Both Hamline athletics and high school athletics have had their schedules pushed back to a later start date. 

The women’s hockey team has had some benefits from COVID-19 this year. Earlier this year the NCAA announced that all athletes would get an extra year of eligibility after this year. As a result, the hockey team has had a few seniors decide to come back. They will also be gaining a few transfer students coming from DI schools. 

“COVID threw a curveball to everybody so that’s just how it’s going to be next year and we’re going to have to make the best of it,” Darwitz said. 

This year the women’s hockey team ended their season with a 4–2 record. Next year there will be the biggest roster since Coach Darwitz started her career at Hamline.

 “Normally we carry a roster of around 26 and next year it’ll be around the low 30’s,” Darwitz said. 

Since everything was pushed back this year, things happened quicker than they normally would. Most coaches like to watch a recruit in action so they can see what they are getting. Luckily many schools still had sports seasons this year.  

“For us, a big part was going to games once they started which hasn’t changed much from a normal year,” Darwitz said.
Watching an athlete compete with a different team can often be indicative of their commitment to a competitive environment as well as skill level.

“The reason we’ve been successful in the past is because, yeah we have good players on the ice, but it’s the people in the locker room that’s really important to us,” Darwitz said. 

The women’s hockey team has a history of success. They have reached two Frozen Fours and multiple national rankings. 

“We have to get to know these kids and they have to be a good fit for our program. They have to be a piece of the puzzle, not the puzzle, and in a team sport that is crucial,”  Darwitz said. The hockey team’s mentality is all about the team environment and atmosphere. With a group of individuals working together towards a common goal comes success on the ice. 

In the end, the women’s hockey team had to adjust with the rest of the world, but through trusting the process they reached the end of the year with a team lined up for next year. 

“We normally had more control but we had to relinquish all control and just say, we’ll see what happens and make the best of it and we have a bigger recruiting class because of it,” Darwitz said.