Scholar Stories: Tran Nearing End of Her ‘Full 60,’ Start of Post-Michigan Future
10/15/2025 1:52:00 PM | Field Hockey
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each week MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories.
By Maggie Meredith
Emmy Tran grew up in Harrisburg, Pa., and began playing field hockey at the age of 8, starting in a small league before finding her talent and moving up to travel and eventually club competition. When deciding where she wanted to begin her collegiate career, there were many factors to consider.
Penn State seemed like an obvious choice, as she grew up in a family of Nittany Lions, and Tran knew she wanted to attend a large school with an emphasis on athletics and academics.
But, instead of heading to State College, she was drawn to the University of Michigan.
"When I took my visit to Michigan, I just realized this was like Penn State 2.0, and it was just an awesome experience to get to be here," she said. "And on my visit, I got to see a football game and be in that atmosphere."
When asked about her family dynamic as a Wolverine, Tran said that her academic decision has brought a fun rivalry to holidays and reunions.
"I always win on football game days; field hockey, obviously, we're awesome and we win all the time and we have Big Ten championships, so it's fun for me," she said. "And I think the banter at family reunions is always super fun. But I only think that because I know I'm better."
That competitive energy has defined Tran's time at Michigan, aiding in her development into a team leader. She has turned her confidence into results and has built an impressive career at Michigan. She arrived in Ann Arbor as a freshman looking to prove herself and make a statement on a new team in a new place, while wanting to leave a lasting impact.
But it was not always an easy ride for Tran, who faced her biggest challenge in her junior year. After returning from an ankle injury that had previously sidelined her, she was ready to play.
"It was off to a great start," she said. "It was my year. I was finally going to start and play."
But just two games into the season, Tran tore her ACL, and the beginning of her season was also the end.
After having surgery in October of her junior year, Tran looked to the other aspects of college life to fill the void where field hockey had been. She began to focus on her major and explored everything that Michigan had to offer. Her curse had been a blessing in disguise, and a method of strengthening her other interests and expanding her horizons internationally.
During her sophomore year, Tran had the opportunity to travel with the athletic department to Vietnam to work on leadership development and culture.
"There were about 10 of us who went, and we talked about how we can bring a sense of different cultures back to Michigan and create good leadership development through that," she said. "So, like, being able to see that and kind of bring perspective back to Michigan and how lucky we are. The amazing opportunities that were given were great."
Tran also emphasized the impact of her opportunity to study abroad and how it has shaped her perspective on her college career, and how she has also used that perspective to help others. From changing her major in her freshman year to transitioning to a new coach in her fifth year, Tran has been through it all.
She is using that experience to help others, mirroring how Michigan's Graham Family Athletics Career Center helped her find herself in her first year.
"I found the school of information through our Michigan career center," she said. "I went and was like, 'I have no clue what to do.'"
Now, based on her interest in finance and trading, Tran is the co-leader of Michigan Athletics in Tech, a mentorship program for athletes looking to go into similar fields. Even this has proved a challenge for her, but it has opened her eyes to many different majors and fields at the university.
Mirroring her success in academics over her field hockey tenure, Tran has watched and aided in the development of field hockey success -- centered on penalty-corner plays and a 60-minute mentality.
When asked about the team's recent corner success, Tran talked about the work and practice that have gone into perfecting them, and the ups and downs that have come with it -- from blowout wins to last-minute nail-biters.
"As a team, trying to find our groove and what plays work for the people that we have on our team have been super challenging," Tran said. "And for the last-minute games, like last-minute game-winners, we like to say we like to keep it interesting. We talk about playing a full 60 and trying to beat teams within that full 60."
Playing a full 60 has been what Tran has done her whole career, taking advantage of every opportunity and path that lies ahead of her. With her final semester coming to a close, she knows that there is still time on the clock before she gets to that "full 60."
Following graduation in December, Tran plans to pursue a master's degree in finance internationally while also continuing her field hockey career. For her, this end is only the beginning.
