GENEVA, N.Y. - Caroline Torie is defined by teammates and coaches as consistent.
That doesn't just mean she's consistent on the field in ability, but consistent meaning she's never absent from the field.
The senior midfielder played in all 81 games in her collegiate career - a DePauw record. She never misses practice because, as she said, she's never dealt with injury. Torie describes herself not as the most talented player on the field, but one that takes satisfaction of being a distributor to one of the top offenses in Div. III.
That's a change from what she used to be in high school.
"I scored a lot in high school," she said. "Going into DePauw, I thought anything could happen. I just wanted to put my best foot forward, and I guess coach liked my style of play, so I was lucky. I was able to mesh with the upperclassmen as well."
Head coach Gina Wills slotted her into the midfield, and tasked her with making stops and intercepting passes, then making pinpoint passes to forwards.
"It fits me a lot better," Torie said. "I feel like I could step up to be a shooter, but we have so many talented front line girls that filling in my role in the midfield is what's needed."
The only adjustment Torie said she had to make was on her fitness.
That's improved over the years, and she's now seen as the one of the top, well-conditioned players on a high-paced Tigers team.
"She never has an off-day, you can rely on Carol back there," senior Bridgette Shamleffer said. "Since freshman year, she's worked really hard and gotten her speed up. If the ball gets behind her you know she will recover back. She never gives up and just keeps going."
Torie started all 20 games her freshman year and tallied three assists. Through her sophomore and junior years she continued to start and notched three more assists.
In her senior year, Torie discovered her scoring stroke again, and found the cage on two occasions. Head coach Gina Wills called her senior captain a vital cog not just in distributing the ball to the offense, but dropping back on defense to intercept passes.
"It's never flashy, but she always gets the job done," Wills said. "She might not be the person who is assisting or scoring the goal, but she is the person leading up to the play. She's always the player that's doing everything. People sometimes don't notice her, but I notice her all the time."
Wills said what's made Torie a more complete player throughout her collegiate career is her improvement on defense.
"Every year that has been my No. 1 goal to improve," Torie said. "I'm not quite where I want to be with that, but in the big games I've played in, my mindset is moving my feet faster, and I get to the ball before the girl is able to pass to another teammate."
Torie works mainly near the sidelines to receive passes from defenders behind her who win the ball.
"I'm good at seeing the field and distributing the ball where it's necessary," Torie said. "I really like the sideline, especially in ball transfers. I like to be very wide because it spreads out the defense."
Added Wills: "Her positioning on our field is tremendous, and she always is in that space to intercept. We can always count on Caroline for good play."
This year, Torie has stepped up in a greater leadership role along with fellow seniors Shamleffer and Margaret Ellis. Shamleffer said what Torie brings most is her confidence in practice and in games.
"Even freshman year, she had a lot of confidence on the field," Shamleffer said. "The team looks up to her, and she is always calm, cool and under control. Margaret and I aren't always the most calm. She's very nice and everyone gets along with her."
For Torie's final weekend of collegiate field hockey, she's savoring every moment.
"I like being with my teammates the most," Torie said. "I like the satisfaction that comes with making a good pass or a good shot. I also like the satisfaction of knowing that I'm a senior, and it's my job to be a role model for the younger players. I like being able to give the underclassmen advice and being a mentor and support system if they need it."