'This is my home': Why the home of Chippewa field hockey will bear Cristy Freese's name
Former coach and administrator Cristy Freese is honored at a ceremony before Central Michigan Field Hockey Team's game against Kent State Oct. 18 at Cristy Freese Field.
Cristy Freese walked onto the turf, just as she had for 34 birthdays in a row at the home of Central Michigan field hockey.
Her 61st birthday might have been the most memorable.
After spending 29 years as coach of the field hockey team and four as an administrator, Freese returned to Central Michigan on Friday as the field was renamed in her honor.
What was once known as the CMU Field Hockey Complex is now Cristy Freese Field.
“I am proud,” Freese said of the honor. “It’s really special.”
The winningest coach in CMU field hockey history, Freese has 226 victories to her name while with the Chippewas. She also has two regular-season Mid-American Conference titles and two MAC Tournament titles.
“She was such a great coach,” said Kerry Flynn, who played for the Chippewas during the 1986 season, Freese’s first at CMU.
However, Freese’s contributions go far beyond field hockey.
Success on and off the field
Freese’s teams were a staple at the top of the MAC leaderboards. Though her teams were only able to claim the conference title a handful of times in her tenure, they consistently battled and were regularly in the semifinals of the conference tournament. Freese made five appearances in the finals of the tournament, winning championships in 1990 and 2005.
Under her tutelage, over 100 players were recognized for their athletic abilities at the conference and regional levels. Two players, Janel Spero in 2002 and Samantha Sandham in 2008, were named conference player of the year. Freese won four coach of the year awards, the latest coming in 2014 – her final season.
Freese was hired to coach the Chippewas in 1986 after one year at Davis and Elkins College. She picked up right where former coach Mary Bottaro left off.
Little did Freese know, she had found her home.
“You never go to a place thinking you’ll be here this long,” she said.
However, it was a perfect match. Freese posted double-digit wins in her first year on the job with a 10-7 record and claimed the MAC Coach of the Year award in her second season.
Her first MAC regular-season title came in 2002, the same year in which she passed her predecessor for the top spot on the all-time wins list. The record-setting victory came in a 1-0 victory over Southwest Missouri State.
The 2002 team was Freese’s best when it came to wins and losses, as the Chippewas posted a 14-7 record and were ranked as high as 16th in the nation before their season ended with a 3-2 double-overtime loss to Kent State in the semifinal of the MAC Tournament.
For all the success the Chippewas had on the field under Freese, the success off the field that was just as remarkable. In her time as coach, the Chippewas were consistently among the best in the nation academically. It all culminated with the Chippewas having the best team grade-point average in the nation in 2012, posting a 3.61 mark.
“When they come to school here, it’s not just about field hockey, it’s about going to school and getting your degree,” Freese said. “The thing that drew the players here was that my staff and I would support them in that (getting their degree).
“We had student-athletes who also wanted to be doctors and lawyers.”
Freese noted that her goal was to continue to develop student-athletes who excelled both on the field and off it. Judging from the results, one could say she achieved her goal and then some.
'She’s everything that’s great about this university'
After a 2014 season that saw Freese earn her fourth MAC Coach of the Year award, she decided to accept a new position.
Shortly following a triple-overtime loss in the semifinal game of the MAC Tournament, Freese accepted a job as the Executive Associate Athletic Director of Sport Administration and Senior Women’s Administrator.
In the four years Freese spent in this role, she helped make many advancements. She advocated female coworkers to attend professional development as well as serving as a mentor in the MAC’s Diversity and Inclusion program.
Freese remained passionate about Central Michigan athletics until she retired in June. For athletic director Michael Alford, Freese’s value could not be understated.
“Everybody loves Cristy,” Alford said. “She’s had such an impact on not only thousands of student-athletes but also our department as a whole.”
Alford arrived at Central Michigan in the summer of 2017 after former athletic director Dave Heeke departed for Arizona. He said Freese was a big part of his transition to Central Michigan.
“She really helped me get indoctrinated into Central,” Heeke said. “She was my right hand. She’s everything that’s great about this university.”
Catherine Ostoich, who now leads the field hockey program, acknowledged Freese’s contributions after the game.
“She was a phenomenal coach and an awesome mentor,” Ostoich said. “I was only with her for a year and a half but still learned just so much from her.”
Freese received the MAC Diversity and Inclusion Administrator Award in August, in recognition for her contributions to collegiate athletics as well as women in her workplace.
The ceremony was a bittersweet reunion for her, as many alumni and former coaching colleagues were in attendance for her special day.
“Everyone respects her as a coach and as an administrator,” Alford said. “It’s a great honor to do this and thank her for her service.”
For Freese, this recognition isn’t just about her. It’s also a testament to just how much this university means to her.
“It’s my name on the field, but it’s really what we all did while we were here,” Freese said. “It’s about continuing to support our field hockey program here.”
She came to Mount Pleasant with just one year of coaching experience. She’ll leave the athletic department with 226 wins, four championships, and a field in her honor.
But she’ll never truly leave Central Michigan.
“I feel I’m so lucky I found a place like Central Michigan to really develop my career,” she said. “I’m proud to have been here, and I’ll always be a Chippewa. This is my home.”
