Wolverine Athlete Spotlight: Anna Schueler
4/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 24, 2015
Sophomore Anna Schueler reflects on her favorite moments this season, talks about the team's continued growth and not having any graduating seniors, and also discusses her interest in writing and summer plans to train with former high school teammates.
On the difference in the team's play in the last three games ... "I think we came out with a really competitive mindset. Especially during the Penn State game, we really came out strong and kept it close throughout the entire game. At Notre Dame I think we extended that -- I think we played hard the entire game. The struggle for us the whole season has been playing a full 60 minutes and I think the past three games, especially Notre Dame and Maryland we've started to come closer to that goal of playing a full 60-minute game."
Anna Schueler (L) and her teammates
On the team's nerves decreasing when playing top-ranked opponents ... "Definitely. I think it's good to be a little nervous before a game, and I think that's something that drives us, but I think as we get older and more experienced with who we're playing, we're more excited rather than nervous."
On her favorite moments on and off the field this season ... "I think all of our favorite moments from this season come from spring break because that was just an awesome trip. I think off the field, biking the Golden Gate Bridge was the best thing we've done. That whole spring break was awesome. On the field, our Cal game was probably my favorite moment. Even though it was our fourth game of the season, I think it was one of our best performances. We really played together as a unit and everyone felt really connected on the field. That's something I wish we could have in every day, so it was really awesome to experience that in California."
On preparing for the Big Ten finale against Rutgers ... "Going into it, we're not going to be as nervous. We have a lot of experience and we now know what it's like to play in somewhat of a high-steak game. Everyone is really excited to compete in our last Big Ten home game. We know it's going to be a really good game. The teams we've played so far this season are going to prepare us for this game against Rutgers. One big key to our success is going to be eliminating uncaused turnovers. Throughout our season, the really close games we've lost have probably been because of unforced turnovers so eliminating those is going to be huge."
On attending the Student-Athlete Recognition Celebration with several teammates ... "It was awesome to see all the student-athletes from so many different teams. After all the hard work we've put in this year, having everyone all together to celebrate the great things we've all accomplished is really motivating, especially with finals coming up. It was a really good experience for us to take a step back and realize all the great things we've done here at Michigan."
On not having any graduating seniors ... "None of us even want to think about graduating (laughing). We're all really enjoying our time here at Michigan. Everyone on the team gets along well on and off the field. We're excited about the thought of continuing to get better. It's an exciting time for us, knowing that we have another two years to grow and get better."
On how her academic year has gone and her career interests ... "So far so good. First semester was pretty challenging for me -- I had a tough econ class. I've been focusing more on my major this semester, which is sport management. It's gone well so far and I'm really looking forward to moving forward with my major. It's exciting to know that I really am happy with that I've chosen to major in. As far as career interests, I took a business writing class first semester and I really enjoyed it. I think I would really like to write for a sports column or something like that, but I'm not completely certain right now. My mom worked with the Chicago Sun Times for a while when I was younger and really enjoyed it, so I think that's where some of my interest comes from."
On her summer plans ... "I'm staying in Ann Arbor for spring semester, which goes until the end of June, and I'm taking a sports ethics class. So I'll be training here while taking a class. When I go home, there will be no breaks; I'll get right back into my training. I train with a group of other college lacrosse players at home so it's easy to stay motivated. There are players from Georgetown, Stanford, Colorado, and there is also a guy who plays at UMass and a football player from Yale. We work with our high school trainer and we're grateful that he allows us to use those facilities. It's an awesome environment because we all went to high school together. We get together every morning and run on the football field and lift in the weight room at our high school. It's a lot of hard work, but we enjoy being back home and doing it together. Also, while I'm home, I'm going to work as a waitress for a good portion of the summer, and hopefully spending time relaxing with my family."
• Previous Spotlight: Allison Silber
