Sept. 16, 2009
To read this feature story on the Big Ten official website, please click here.
By Larry Watts
Contributor, BigTen.org
Amy Bonenberger saw it as the ultimate recruiting package for one field hockey program -- all four good friends from Pennsylvania powerhouse Palmyra High School extending their playing careers to the same college field.
Bonenberger had committed to Penn State. But her dream was short-lived as Kelly Fitzpatrick decided the University of Michigan would be the best fit and Brianna Davies would head further east to play for Maryland.
That left Brooke Hoffsmith. Bonenberger was confidant Hoffsmith would join her at State College. After all, Brooke's sister, Erica, would be heading into her senior year with the Nittany Lions field hockey squad and the opportunity to have the two sisters on the same field one more time would be too could to pass up.
But then Hoffsmith announced that she would be taking a visit to North Carolina.
"My heart went right into my stomach," Bonenberger says. "I didn't know what I was going to do. I had already lost two best friends to Michigan and Maryland. I am such a homebody and I needed someone there (at Penn State) with me."
After a restless weekend while Hoffsmith was in Chapel Hill, N.C., Bonenberger's initial thought process proved true. When she showed up at school the following Monday morning, Bonenberger found out Hoffsmith would be joining her at Penn State.
"I went on that North Carolina trip because I had to keep my options open a little bit," Hoffsmith says. "Deep down, I really knew where I was going to go. My sister being here had a lot to do with my decision and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I had been to a lot of her games and I had a good feeling of what the Penn State program was all about. I couldn't imagine myself going anywhere else."
The Bonenberger-Hoffsmith relationship is as thick as ever as they head into their final season at Penn State. On the field, Hoffsmith plays center middle and Bonenberger is right behind her at center back, just the way they played in high school.
"Amy has always got my back; sometimes she comes up a little too close on me and gets too much of my back," Hoffsmith says with a laugh. "She'll take anything for me. She's had a chipped tooth and a couple of good knots on the head, but that's the sacrifice you make by playing defense. I let her take the brunt of it."
Childhood friends since they first started playing field hockey, soccer and basketball together in elementary school, Bonenberger can only recall one argument between the two and neither player can recall the specifics.
"All I can remember is it was our senior year of high school and it had something to do with positioning," Bonenberger says. "But we had to stop practice to sort things out. That was a pivotal point for us because it allowed us to work together so well the rest of the year and win the state championship. One of the best things about our friendship is we are able to communicate openly and honestly."
The two are nearly inseparable off the field as well. They shared the same room in a dorm for two years and have lived in the same house for the past two years.
Bonenberger calls Hoffsmith her "backbone" while Hoffsmith refers to Bonenberger as the "mother hen."
"Amy is the mother hen not to just me, but to the entire team," Hoffsmith says. "She would do anything for anyone on the team. She takes care of me when I'm sick and makes sure I take my medicine. I think she would even tuck me in at night if I let her."
They do have one little competition going on in their Penn State careers. Although neither player has formally met Joe Paterno, it all centers on who has had the best interaction with the legendary football coach.
"She would always tell me about how she would drive past his car, but I actually saw him face-to-face," Bonenberger says.
Her chance meeting with Paterno came during practice two years ago. Bonenberger took a stick to the face, opening a gash between her eyes.
"The quickest way to get stitches was to go over to the training room in the football building," she says. "While I was there, Joe held the door open for me. I would have shaken his hand, but I was bleeding all over the place and had to keep pressure on the wound. It was probably an inappropriate time to ask for his autograph."
Hoffsmith's Joe Paterno story comes from their freshman year, when the field hockey team was being honored at halftime of a football game for their 2005 Big Ten title. The freshmen weren't even part of that championship team, but they still got to go on the field. The only trouble was Hoffsmith and a couple of the other girls never left the field.
"I was the correct one and left the field, but there was Brooke standing right behind the bench the entire second half," Bonenberger says. "All she did was stare at Jo Pa; she wasn't even watching the game! She's not afraid to rub that one in my face any time she gets the chance."
"I just stood and watched; it was an awesome experience," Hoffsmith says with a laugh. "Amy and my sister were so mad at me, but I think they were just jealous."
Although their paths have traveled to different schools, Bonenberger and Hoffsmith remain in regular contact with Fitzpatrick and Davies. Naturally, the Big Ten schedule dictates an annual meeting between Penn State and Michigan, but they have both faced Maryland in each of the past three years. Penn State travels to Maryland this Saturday.
Davies' Terrapins own a combined 5-1 record against the two Big Ten schools, losing to Penn State during the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2007. The Wolverines and Nittany Lions have split four matches in the past four seasons.
"It's weird playing them (Fitzpatrick and Davies)," says Bonenberger. "I wish they were on my team and the ones I was passing the ball to. Everyone goes their own way, but we all know our roots and stay connected. We support each other through everything."
"Going to the Final Four two years ago was one of the biggest thrills, but we had to beat Maryland in order to do it," says Hoffsmith. "It was hard to see Brianna so upset, but she's got two national championship rings since she's been there, so I think she's doing OK.
"We all do a little friendly trash talking before we play each other and ask for each other's plan of attack. We may joke around a little on the field, but we're always going to give 100 percent for our school. It's always fun to play people you played with in high school and see how they have developed."
With no expectations to further their field hockey careers, Bonenberger and Hoffsmith know they will be heading out on separate paths next spring. A kinesiology major, Bonenberger still has three years of grad school ahead of her in order to obtain her doctorate in physical therapy. Hoffsmith is majoring in recreation parks and tourism management.
"I have always wanted to go into the medical field in some way," Bonenberger says. "In high school, I shadowed various professions in the local hospital and physical therapy felt like something my heart was in and I could best use my skills and personality."
Could those paths eventually lead back to Palmyra with a couple of houses side by side with white picket fences?
"But the backyards have to be open," Bonenberger adds with a laugh. "I know we're going to be in each other's weddings. It would be an ideal situation."
"I don't know if there's much tourism back in Palmyra," Hoffsmith counters. "I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find Amy back in Palmyra. She's more of a homebody than I am and she lives for Palmyra."
But before they start making plans for the future, the two 21-year-olds know there is the business of one more Penn State field hockey season at hand.
"Penn State has offered us the ultimate package when it comes to athletics, academics and overall school experience," Bonenberger says. "Coach Shaw is so passionate about everything in life and that passion goes right down to her players. Being from a small town, I didn't know what to expect when I got here, but I have never felt overwhelmed or been unhappy."
"I'm leaving here with a lot of new best friends," Hoffsmith adds. "This will be something I will remember for the rest of my life. I don't know what it is going to be like to be a normal college student once this season is over. It has meant so much to grow up playing a sport that I love. A lot of people would die to be in this position to play for such an amazing program at such a great school."