Syracuse gathered for its 2 kilometer conditioning test. Freshman back Nijsje Venrooy’s heart beat through her chest as thunder boomed outside Manley Field House. Then she took off.

Venrooy failed the test that stormy day in early August. But she bounced back quickly and passed in her next attempt. Her ability to adjust to a high tempo has defined Veenroy’s first month at Syracuse.

After coming from the Netherlands, Venrooy is the only freshman for No. 1 SU (8-1, 2-1 Atlantic Coast) to start every game and has tallied a goal and an assist. But the adjustment to the speed of the American game has come with its challenges.

“The first practice everything was hard to keep up with.” Venrooy said, “Everybody could run fast, pass fast and is so strong. It was not easy.”

With the ball flying across the field and players running faster and longer than she was used to, Venrooy needed to find a way to keep up.

In the Netherlands, “hockey” is viewed as more static and slow while American field hockey is viewed as faster paced and more athletic. Venrooy’s club team in the Netherlands, HMD, practiced only three times a week and had games on the weekend. Now, Venrooy plays six times a week.

After finishing up her run to the finals with HMD this past July, Venrooy took the month to recuperate. After the break, she felt less fit than normal.

“I thought I was fit there.” Venrooy said, “But when I came here, I’ve never been this fit in my life.”

The increase in strength and conditioning training is new to Venrooy. In the Netherlands, it was never emphasized to the magnitude it is in America and specifically Syracuse.

As Venrooy’s muscles have grown, so has her play on the field. No longer does Venrooy bend over gasping for air after 10 minutes of playing. As games wind down, Venrooy stays strong. She sticks to her gritty style of play that blends in well with Syracuse’s.

As the clock ticked down against then-No. 6 Maryland on Aug. 28, the Orange searched for someone to seal its comeback. Scooping the ball off a deflection, Venrooy tucked home her first career collegiate goal to put the finishing touches on a 4-1 victory. A few months ago Venrooy didn’t have the gas left in the tank to even be on the field, let alone get involved in the offense.

“Back home I never played 70 minutes in a row without a sub,” Venrooy said. “After 10 minutes I was so tired I had to take a minute and sit on the bench.”

In just a month’s time, Venrooy has gone from failing her first conditioning test to becoming a staple in the SU backline.

Published on September 26, 2016 at 10:29 pm

Contact Josh: jlschafe@syr.edu | @Schafer_44