For a coach to have one of their players be able to attend a Big 10 school to continue their academic and athletic careers is a proud moment.

For Northwestern’s Lissa Opolsky, having Hannah Gober choose Ohio State was slightly more bittersweet, since she is a proud University of Iowa graduate.

Opolsky will still be cheering on Gober from afar; just not when the two schools meet.

With the varsity field hockey team in attendance and most of them wearing Ohio State T-shirts, Gober was celebrated by the Northwestern Lehigh community Wednesday for her commitment to become a Buckeye.

“Hannah is well prepared for the next step. One of her biggest strengths is her IQ of the game. She’s probably going to play quite a different position when she gets to Ohio State, just because of the nature of what she is going into,” said Opolsky.

“I’m definitely a little sad that she won’t be wearing black and gold (Iowa colors) at the next level, but I am super proud of her and we’re all going to be Big 10 friends when it comes to that.”

Gober was one of the rare student-athletes who knew exactly what she was looking for in a college; a great pre-med program at a school that offered her the opportunity to continue playing field hockey in a strong program with a good coaching staff that would offer her a good academic and athletic balance.

“I hope to continue on to med school following college, and Ohio State has the opportunity to be in a hospital setting, and in the undergraduate program they have a lot of internship opportunities,” Gober explained.

“The coaching staff there is fantastic, and everybody I talk to about them speaks highly of them, and that’s really important to me because I need a coach that understands the type of person I am, and understands that I have big goals. I’m really excited to be able to go there.”

Gober is part of a senior class that won four District 11 championships, and two Colonial League championships in their time at Northwestern Lehigh. Gober contributed with 49 goals and 44 assists over her four seasons, for a total of 142 points.

What the stats don’t show is that Gober was a natural team leader during her career, and was quick to jump in to help younger players as they worked to deal with the intensity of the varsity level. Gober also helps out with coaching youth players and enjoys having that opportunity, which she hopes to continue doing at Ohio State.

“I was very fortunate this year with my teammates. They were very open to constructive criticism and the feedback I would give them. I took on a little bit of a coaching role, and they totally bought into it,” said Gober. “I think it’s made me a better player by learning how to explain things to them, and learning how to pass on my knowledge and understanding of the game.

“I’ve thought about it (coaching) and I’m actually coaching indoor field hockey this year at my club, and hopefully, there will be a club team or high school team that would be willing to take me on in some capacity. I love being around this sport, whether it’s on the field or on the sideline.”

Gober has one more sports season left before her time at Northwestern comes to an end.

The basketball season will give her the opportunity to play high school sports with both of her sisters.

As a freshman, Gober’s older sister Gabby was a senior on the field hockey team and this basketball season, she will be playing alongside younger sister Charlotte, who is a freshman.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to play club sports and high school sports with their siblings, and I’m able to do it with my older sister and my younger sister,” noted Gober.

“We have the competitive drive, but also the sisterly drive to make each other better. We sometimes get frustrated and we fight, but at the end of the day, we’re always there for each other and we make each other better.”