After graduating from Kent State last spring, Berber Rischen decided that before returning to her native country, the Netherlands, she wanted to pursue an MBA. Withone of the top 25 programs in the country, Maryland’s Smith School of Business was a good choice.
“I decided that I wanted to go to Maryland, then I talked to the field hockey coaches to see if there was a chance to play another year of field hockey,” said Rischen, who just happened to lead the Golden Flashes to three straight Mid-American Conference titles and was named conference co-player of the year in 2004.
It was a no-brainer for Terrapins coach Missy Meharg. In fact, Maryland was already recruiting Berber’s younger sister, current freshman Ameliet Rischen. The Rischens, along with junior Janneke Van Leeuwen and assistant coach Tjerk Van Herwaarden, give the defending NCAA champions’ roster a distinct Dutch influence.
“In America, the emphasis is on fitness and strength and all that stuff. In Holland, they’re a lot more advanced technically and tactically,” said Berber Rischen. “In that way, you really learn from each other which is very cool because I actually got a lot stronger because I came here.”
Van Leeuwen currently leads the team with 14 assists and also has eight goals. Berber Rischen is right behind her 11 assists and seven goals, and Ameliet has five goals and one assist.
The Dutch women have the top-ranked team in the world, and the Dutch men are fourth. But even Van Herwaarden was amazed by what he found at the Division I level after joining the Terrapins last season.
“It’s a very professional environment to work in,” said Van Herwaarden, who also works with the U.S. men’s national team. “In the Netherlands, the standard is a little bit higher with the players, but everything else is a little bit lower.”
It’s easy to spot the Dutch influence when the Terps are on field: Berber always wears an orange headband.
“It’s just something that I’ve done since the very first game I played for Kent State. My teammates told me to keep doing it so Ibrought it here with me,” said Berber. “It doesn’t go with the Maryland colors very well, but that’s alright.”
NCAA Field Hockey Final Four
» Where: Kentner Stadium, Winston-Salem, N.C.
» When: Today
No. 1 Wake Forest (21-1) vs. No. 4 Duke (16-5), 5 p.m.
No. 2 Maryland (21-2) vs. Connecticut (21-3), 7:30
