By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Media Relations
 Caitlin Dallmeyer's first official day as Lehigh head coach was on March 21, but her eyes had been on Lehigh for a long time.
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"I feel like Lehigh is a program that has always had the potential to be very successful," she said.
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Dallmeyer was named head coach of the Mountain Hawks on March 8. The Lehigh opportunity was one that really piqued her interest.
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"Already living in Pennsylvania, I felt the popularity of the school, the reach and reputation that it carries regionally, and nationally," said Dallmeyer. "I knew it could be a really great place to implement my philosophies to help the program reach the next level. When I interviewed at Lehigh, I felt very connected to the philosophies that are already existing within the department. Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett and how he leads is really attractive to me and how I lead my team."
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Dallmeyer came to Lehigh from Dickinson College, where she was head coach for five seasons. She owns eight years of coaching experience overall, the first three at her alma mater Duke following a standout career as a goalkeeper for the Blue Devils.
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With all her years of experience at various levels and in different roles, Dallmeyer has developed a clear identity as a coach. Her philosophies are very much in line with Lehigh Athletics' philosophies.
Head Coach Caitlin Dallmeyer
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"Creating the complete student-athlete is extremely important," she said. "The leadership piece, which is so important to our athletic department, is also important to me and the culture I'm trying to build within the program. When we're recruiting, we're looking for student-athletes who have the potential to lead in pressure situations. It's my responsibility as a coach to help them see that potential within themselves, and push them to reach it.
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"We are not just looking for the best athletes; we want the best teammates who are going to contribute positively to our team culture and the Lehigh community."
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Dallmeyer was thrown into the fire at Lehigh. Her first official day was the team's first day of spring practice. A lot needed to be accomplished in a short amount of time, but before getting into any skill development or X's and O's, there was one more important order of business.
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"Getting to know the team was my first priority, making sure that I was meeting everyone and connecting with everyone," said Dallmeyer. "Before my first official day on the job, I came in a week beforehand to have a team meeting so I could meet everyone. In that meeting, we talked about our team expectations and what we wanted to implement in terms of team standards, rules and protocols."
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Many different aspects were discussed.
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"We talked about increasing our fitness standards," said Dallmeyer. "We talked about instilling pride into the program and how we wanted to go about working towards being our best selves as athletes, and our best selves as people."
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One of the big themes has been a sense of pride in being part of the program.
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"I believe the team is bought into the program and everyone is very much committing themselves to allowing Lehigh field hockey to be a part of their identity," said Dallmeyer. "They make decisions and they act in line with a Lehigh field hockey player every day, whether they're in season, out of season, whether they're abroad, whether they're at home or whether they're on campus."
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"Many of us had pride to be part of this program before, but throughout the spring, it transformed into something I never experienced before," said rising senior Janelle High. "From the first day Coach Dallmeyer joined us, we were excited and knew Lehigh field hockey would never be the same. We endured the toughest practices we have ever experienced and made improvements every day. For the first time, I can say every single person was excited to be part of LU field hockey and committed to the program. We left spring on a high note, and I believe our renewed pride will carry us throughout the summer and into the fall season."
Rising senior Janelle High
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There has been an increased emphasis on pride because having a strong culture in place helps set the foundation for success.
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"It's important to note, while pride is important to have, it does not translate directly into results," said High. "As individuals, and as a team, we must use this pride to motivate ourselves to never be satisfied and continue to work harder than we did the day before. Pride is also important going into preseason to help the incoming freshman understand the team culture and what we stand for."
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Along with a strong culture, hard work is another critical component of any successful program. The players took initiative to work hard before Dallmeyer arrived during a time when they could have easily taken the easy way out.
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"By the time I arrived, the team already had an idea of who they wanted to be and what they wanted to work towards," said Dallmeyer. "They were eager to put in the work that I was asking of them because they could see the end goals in sight. They really met the expectations early on, which was inspiring to see and further proves our potential for the fall."
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Dallmeyer knows it will take time to reach the ultimate goal, but there are some areas the team can improve upon right away heading into the 2016 season.
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"Outworking our opponents will probably be our first goal for the season then over time, building our skills so they fit the rest of the league and hopefully nationwide shortly thereafter to be able to compete at that level," she said. "The team played a lot of opponents very closely last year, so we are very optimistic for the season, that with some changes and dedication to the fundamentals, we'll be able to pull out some of those wins that we narrowly missed."
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"Besides improving our skills, there was a tremendous focus on building a strong bond as a team," said High. "We are responsible for ensuring one another comes prepared for preseason so we can continue to move forward and build our program from the ground up. We want to be able to come into preseason and hit the ground running towards our goals."
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Right now, the Mountain Hawks' goals are focused on the immediate future, taking things one day at a time.
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"There are a lot of similar schools to Lehigh competing at the highest level, so I think over time, it is a possible to get there, but right now, we're not looking too far in advance," said Dallmeyer. "We have a lot of immediate goals right in front of us that requires a lot of work."
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Lehigh's student-athletes have already gotten a taste of Dallmeyer as a coach. More than a coach, she cares deeply for her players and understands that field hockey is one aspect of the student-athlete experience.
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"I believe the player-coach relationship is the basis for any level of success," said Dallmeyer. "I need to make sure that I know who I'm working with as people, which takes a lot of time off the field. It's important to understand their interests and what's important to them off the field so I can make sure I'm being sensitive to that when we're trying to get the best of them on the field."
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"Coach has done an incredible job of getting to know us as people," said rising junior Julia Washburn. "Our first individual meetings with Coach had nothing to do with our performance in practice, like you would expect, but instead she asked a bunch of questions about ourselves, what makes us tick, our interests and what we want out of the program. She also loves to Instagram what we're doing off the field and keep up with our lives.
Rising junior Julia Washburn
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"Her interest in who we are outside of the two hours per day we're on the field has made us want to work even harder for her."
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The big picture is critically important, especially since what's happening off the field can directly affect what's happening on the field. One example is Lehigh's four o'clock exam weeks, which features increased stress on the student-athletes.
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"I need to make sure I'm aware of what's going on so I can tailor my style to make sure it's fitting how they're going to best succeed," said Dallmeyer. "We've had a lot of individual meetings and we've had a lot of individual check-ins to make sure they're understanding what I'm asking of them."
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What can Dallmeyer's players expect of her come gameday this fall?
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"I'm fairly calm and thoughtful on the sidelines," she said. "I'm not a yeller. I believe the skill coaching and individual coaching should be done at practice and the team strategy coaching should be done on gameday. I want to make sure my team is as prepared in practice as possible so when they're thrown into situations they're not expecting, they're already thinking ahead about the next move."
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This spring was the start of a journey for Dallmeyer and her players. To have success, it all begins with the right people.
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"We want to make sure the people in our program are committed," she said. "We want to find people who are going to be comfortable pushing themselves out of their box - being comfortable being uncomfortable - and putting themselves in new situations where they're going to be challenged.
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"Our job as coaches is to push our student-athletes and to make them see and reach for their potential, and to get the best out of them… in all areas. We need people who are open to being challenged in different situations."
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