NT_062019

46 | June 20, 2019 | The Northbrook tower sports
northbrooktower.com
Schneider wins national championship with Wisconsin
Michal Dwojak, Sports Editor
Caitlin Schneider had
the winning part down.
The former Glenbrook
girls hockey player knew
what it’s like to play in
high-level games after
winning a state championship
with her high
school team. So when the
University of Wisconsin-
Madison women’s hockey
player prepared to play
in the Badger’s nationalchampionship
game, she
knew how to handle the
nerves and the pressure of
playing in a high-stakes
game.
What Schneider didn’t
expect was to get the opportunity
to have a role
in the team’s push toward
the end of the season.
“It’s a really long journey
to get where we are,”
Schneider said. “There are
a lot of ups and downs as
a team, but as a whole,
coming to the tournament
we knew what we wanted
to do and talked about
what our end goal for the
tournament.”
The sophomore increased
her role down
the stretch because of a
teammate’s injury. Her
minutes increased and she
became a bigger piece of
the Badger’s defense, the
No. 1 team in the NCAA
Tournament. She tallied
four of her 10 points in the
month of March, tallying
two goals and two assists.
She was nervous about
stepping into the new role,
but she had worked hard
for it during her first two
seasons on campus. The
Badger had used her initial
season to get used to
collegiate hockey, and she
was ready to show off the
hard work.
Schneider had an assist
in on of the three final
games for the Badgers, but
she held a key presence on
defense to help Wisconsin
take down Minnesota on
March 24.
“It’s extremely overwhelming
with a lot of
emotions, being happy, almost
like relief too, all of
this is worth it at the end,”
Schneider said of winning
the national championship.
What the Glenbrook
South alumna didn’t
know, however, was all
the thrill that came along
with playing at the national
stage. The players
attended banquets surrounding
the finals site
in Hamden, Conn., with
an opening ceremony and
other extra places where
players needed to be other
than the hockey rink.
The extracurriculars
continued after the finals
too. Wisconsin players
have gone to different
events celebrating their
national championship,
including attending a Milwaukee
Brewers game.
Schneider also noted
the support they’ve gotten
from the community,
which came as a surprise
to her given that they play
a women’s sport.
All of this has given the
players, including Schneider,
the experience of a
lifetime.
“It was pretty crazy all
around,” Schneider said.
“As far as my hockey
career, probably one of
the more memorable moments
in my career I’ve
had.”
Glenbrook girls hockey alumna Caitlin Schneider won a national championship with the University of Wisconsin-
Madison women’s hockey team. Photos submitted
The celebrations have
been fun, but it hasn’t delayed
the work for the next
season. Wisconsin has
already started skating to
get ready for the chance to
defend its national championship,
because that’s
how the Badgers won it in
the first place.
But with the focus shifting
toward the future,
Schneider won’t forget
the memories she made
her sophomore season.
“I’m so grateful for the
opportunity and so grateful
to the people that I
have,” Schneider said.
“It’s an experience I probably
won’t forget.”
Schneider poses with her teammates.