Erin Carter has played a key role in the recent success of Yale field hockey.  Now, the Perkiomen Valley graduate will be asked to lead her team into the 2011 season.

Carter recently completed her third season of field hockey at Yale.  The junior back was one of the best two-way players in the Ivy League.  Her efforts and her leadership qualities recently prompted her teammates to elect her team captain for the 2011 season.

"It's a real honor to be chosen by my teammates," said Carter.  "I gain a lot of confidence being chosen by them.  Coming off a strong season, I think it's really exciting getting ready for next year."

Carter has been part of a Bulldogs' squad that has made great strides in recent years.  In 2010, Yale finished 11-6 overall and 5-2 in league play.  Over the past two seasons, Yale is 23-11 overall and 11-3 in Ivy League games.

"Everyone has a huge part in building the program," Carter said.  "I think we've had some good leaders and good skilled players come through.  I think the mixture of the two has really helped build the program and we're just going to get better."

Carter is one of the league's most versatile players.  She is an outstanding defender and can also contribute on the offensive end.  Carter finished the 2010 season with eight goals, tied for the most on the team.  She has 16 goals over the past two years.  While Carter is happy to put the ball in the opposing team's net, she takes even greater pride with her work on defense.     

"I'm happy I can make an impact on both ends of the field," said Carter.  "But I do look at my job on the field as a defender.  I'm happy I can take part in the offense, but my primary job is being in the back helping my defense."

Playing sports on the colligate level involves balancing academics and athletics. It is even harder at an Ivy League school were academics standards are at their highest. 

"It's definitely a challenge," said Carter.  "We all take our academics very seriously here. Everyone is going through it in athletics and everyone needs to do time management. You work together and you figure it out."

Carter enjoyed an outstanding run at Perkiomen Valley High School before she arrived at Yale.  She was a first-team PIAA selection and led her teams to a pair of PAC-10 championships. 

"I was surrounded by really skilled players," Carter said.  "My coaches really helped me out the most.  They really helped me become the player I am today."

Carter's family has a strong field hockey bloodline. Her mother, Brenda, played at the University of North Carolina.  Her sister, Avery, also played college field hockey at Lebanon Valley.

"Field hockey is huge in my family," said Carter.  "My mother played and my sister played.  My mom gave me a ton of support as well as my sister.  They've really been supportive of me."

Carter is an environmental studies major who is focusing her studies on food and agriculture. Much of her interest involves food policies and availability in low-income areas.  Last summer, Carter worked with the Connecticut Fund for the Environment and assisted on several projects for the organization.

 "It was really cool seeing inside an organization," said Carter. "You see how the different aspects work. It gave me an inside look at what I may be able to do one day."

Carter is looking forward to leading the Bulldogs to even greater success next fall.  The Bulldogs know perennial power Princeton still stands in the way of their Ivy League championship dreams. However, Carter believes 2011 could be a special one for Yale field hockey.

"Our standards are very high next season," Carter said. "We have a ton of starters coming back and a good class coming in. I think it should only get better."