Wainschel signs to Adelphi University
Chico High’s head coach lauds her dedication to the sport
Chico High head coach lauds senior field hockey player Candice Wainschel as she signs letter of intent.
CHICO » During a brief ceremony, with her teammates at her back applauding in support, family in attendance and grandparents watching via Zoom over a laptop, Candice Wainschel made her move to the east coast official Friday at Panther Stadium.
Wainschel, a senior field hockey player for Chico High, signed her letter of intent to play for Adelphi University, a program in Garden City, New York.
“Players like Candice come around once in a blue moon where I’ve seen an athlete this dedicated to a sport,” said Kim Musselman, the Panthers field hockey coach. “Candice is one of the only players I’ve ever had who during the offseason did not take an offseason.”
Wainschel would often practice on her own and created her own workout regimes, Musselman said.
“She has not stopped practicing because ( playing in college) has been her goal since she was a freshman,” Musselman said.
When Wainschel first got to Chico High, she didn’t want to play field hockey since it was the same sport her older sister played. But then she thought about playing the sport more and decided to give it a try.
“As I got to high school I thought, it’d be kind of cool to play the same sport as my sister. I tried it and I loved it,” Wainschel said. “The moment I played I felt like this is it.”
In her junior year, Wainschel scored six goals and seven assists.
“She found a connection to the sport and her teammates. It became a safe and fun place to be,” Musselman said. “People like her are not very common anymore.”
Wainschel made the decision to play at Adelphi after taking a virtual tour of the campus. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was unable to visit campus.
“I really love the sport and that’s what drove me to (commit to Adelphi),” Wainschel said.
In recent years, many Chico High field hockey players have signed on to continue playing in college, despite field hockey being a more popular sport on the east coast. That was a goal of Musselman's when she took over the job as head coach.
“When I played at Chico High I was able to go on and play collegiately and that was my goal when I came back,” Musselman said. “I wanted that to be an option for players.”
Now, Musselman helps her players find collegiate programs to continue playing field hockey. Wainschel is the latest Panther to continue that trend.
Right now, Wainschel is hoping she can get one last season of field hockey at Chico High. Musselman said when sports shut down, she thought about Wainschel and the seniors on her team.
“With the pandemic, the first thing I thought was, ‘Oh man, Candice deserves her senior year,'” Musselman said. “I hope that these girls can get their senior year.”