The strength of the Ann Arbor field hockey scene is clear within the state. Pioneer High School won five consecutive state championships from 2005-09 before cross-town rival Huron finally dethroned the Pioneers last season.

The strength of the programs can also be seen at colleges across the country.

Former Pioneer player Emy Guttman has twice been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week this season and her former teammate, Grace Wilson, has won the Patriot League's equivalent. This summer, another former Pioneer player, University of Iowa junior Sarah Drake, was selected for the United States Under-21 Junior Women's National Team.

Pioneer coach Jane Nixon has a theory why college programs from around the country are attracted to talent in the area.

"“We tend to be the players that work hard and are team players,” said Nixon, a former national coach of the year. “We have that sort of reputation.”

It doesn't hurt to have a little talent in that mix.

Former Huron player Ainsley McCallister played opposite Guttman in two state finals while in high school, with Guttman's Pioneers winning both times. Now the two play alongside one another at Michigan.

“It (playing in college) gives you an outlet to continue to do something you love,” McCallister said.

It's not just at the Division I level that Ann Arbor natives are making an impact. Former Pioneer Allie Stein recently set a school record for goals in a game (6) and points in a game at Division III Smith College.

Of course, this isn't a recent development. Ann Arbor native Kelly Gordon will be inducted into the Central Michigan University Sports Hall of Fame on Friday. Gordon was a member of the Chippewas 1976 field hockey team that finished fifth in the nation.

Bruce Elliott has been an advocate for field hockey in the Ann Arbor area for years as a coach and parent. Both his daughters, Jennifer and Courtney Elliott, played in college at Princeton and Duke, respectively. His old neighbor, former AnnArbor.com player of the year Kelsey Thompson, who now plays at Northwestern, credits him as a major influence in the sport.

Elliott feels that by working in the USA Field Hockey Futures program, the players really make strides.

“The futures program is kind of like an Olympic development program for field hockey,” Elliott said. “A certain level of skill and interest is needed, but the kids from Ann Arbor go and they get very good instruction.”

They also get to showcase their skills to college coaches. According to Elliott, a lot of getting recruited depends on how well the athlete gets their name out there. It's an idea that Guttman agreed with.

“I think you have to recruit yourself more than you get recruited,” Guttman said.

The list of schools where players end up is impressive. Ann Arbor players have been on rosters at Harvard, Dartmouth, Princeton, Massachusetts and other universities in recent years.

“(Field hockey) affords these girls an opportunity and the competition is so fierce to get into these schools," Elliott said. "That field hockey makes a difference. Not everybody is going to be a star playing D-I, but field hockey can help you get into schools.”

Steve Guttman, who once upon a time was nearly an Olympic level field hockey player himself, attributes the success of the players to the Ann Arbor Rec and Ed and the Futures programs.

“These (high school) programs are great programs, but these kids are getting that way from (Futures)," said Steve Guttman, Emy Guttman's father.

The success probably can't be credited to the Futures, high school or Rec and Ed programs alone, but rather a combination of the three. Which one has the strongest influence is unclear, but what is obvious is that the trend is continuing.

Huron has four seniors committed to Division I schools in Kelsey Gradwohl (Northwestern), Lexi Collins (California Berkeley), Anna Masini (Brown) and Taylor Standiford (Cornell) while Pioneer's Sydney Supica is committed to Indiana University.

And so the mark of Ann Arbor's field hockey scene is sure to be seen for many years to come.

College players

There are currently 16 former Huron or Pioneer players on varsity college field hockey team. Here is a list, separated by school and high school graduation year.

PIONEER

Class of 2011
Emy Guttman - University of Michigan
Beth Johnson - Swarthmore College
Emma Hamstra - University of Massachusetts
Clanci Mackenzie - Saint Louis University
Grace Wilson - American University

Class of 2010
Kelsey Thompson - Northwestern University
Allie Stein - Smith College

Class of 2009
Haley Jones - University of Michigan
Molly Stansik - Harvard University
Sarah Drake - University of Iowa
Hilary Zdanowski - Denison University

HURON

Class of 2011
Claire Moffett - College of Wooster

Class of 2010
Ainsley McCallister - University of Michigan
Melanie Askari - University of Vermont

Class of 2009
Lisa Masini - Dartmouth College

Class of 2008
Kit Masini - Brown University