PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Senior Day is always an emotional one for any college athletics program. Gathering at the end of the regular season to commemorate the four years that a senior class has devoted to the student-athlete experience always bring up a flood of fond memories and emotions.

For Rutgers field hockey, Senior Day this Sunday will be no different. Prior to the final regular season game against American, there will be a ceremony honoring three special people that have meant so much to the program.

"It's going to be really exciting to celebrate this group on Sunday," head coach Meredith Civico said. "They've been a really integral part of building this program. This group of seniors has seen the program turn a corner and have been a major part of that. Linde and Nikki as captains this year have done a tremendous job keeping the team motivated, focused and believing in our ability. We want to keep playing for them."
The first senior that will be recognized will be Megan Cunningham. Coming to Rutgers from Wilton, Connecticut, she spent three seasons in uniform from 2015 to 2017. Playing midfield and forward, she saw action in 26 games, with two starts and scored three goals, including one to seal a ranked win over No. 23 Old Dominion in 2017. This year, she spent the season as a team manager.

The other two seniors for Rutgers are a pair of team captains. Linde van Schaik and Nikki Profita have been excellent players on the field for RU, but even more so have been selfless leaders for this team.

"Coming into this season, I was just all about the team," van Schaik explained. "For me, I'm successful when the team is successful. Our success comes from our team dynamic. Everyone is so close; we all want to fight for each other."

"It's just a really special group of girls," Profita echoed. "It's a really special bunch this year, and I have a good feeling that we'll make it far this year. It's nice to cherish it with these girls, but also appreciating the girls older than me that have gotten us and me to this point."

Van Schaik has excelled from the moment she arrived in New Jersey from the Netherlands. A starter in every career game, she has displayed versatility as both a midfielder and a back, as the inserter on corners and while displaying a scoring touch. She has been twice named All-Big Ten and three times earned All-Region honors, while totaling at least seven goals and 19 points in each of the last three seasons. She has made a firm mark on this program, and will graduate in RU's top-10 all-time in all three scoring categories.
"In the beginning, I might not have known as much about what this would mean as I do now," van Schaik reflected. "The people around here really have made it great to call myself a Scarlet Knight and to be part of this program. All the people here have made this a special experience. We as a program are really growing and it's awesome to be part of that."

A hard-working player throughout her career, Profita has excelled as a senior. The Washington, N.J. native broke through in a big way, scoring her first career goal for game-winning tally in second half of 3-2 win over No. 18 St. Joe's on September 2. Once that first one went in, she went on a scoring surge, tallying six more times over a seven games span, including mutli-goal games against Ohio State and Indiana. Both on and off the field, she has been a proud ambassador for Rutgers throughout her entire career.
"I think it will be a special moment Sunday to celebrate where we started and where we are now," Profita explained. "With where the program is going, this might be an ending, but we still have a bit to go and lots to play for."

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