The 2013 UConn Field Hockey Team had just come off a National Championship, the first for Nancy Stevens. And the returning team again was loaded...it also added a talented freshman class that featured a young lady from Dusseldorf, Germany who chose UConn over Penn State, Charlotte Veitner...Now yes, part of the reason she came to Storrs was the Engineering Program, but the final decision according to an ESPN.com story would come down to a coin flip...Where she always chose heads...heads would take her to UConn.
Already a successful player in Germany's Field Hockey Program, playing on it's National U-19 Team, Veitner made an immediate impact with the Huskies. Leading the team in scoring with 18 goals and 12 assists to gain Big East Rookie of the Year Honors...And with Chloe Hunnable and a staunch defense, the Huskies would repeat...a hat trick in game one against Kent St, followed by wins over Stanford, Albany and Rival Syracuse to win a second straight championship..
One aspect of her game, her tremendous stick work and ability to score from all angles...It made Goalie and roommate Nina Klein the best in the country...As Nancy Stevens added "Consistency set her apart, A unique talent who sees things others don't." And she has great vision....It's what makes her a devastating goal scorer...
A once in a lifetime sophomore season where the Huskies went 22-1...a team that averaged nearly 6 goals per game. Veitner explosive with 39 goals and 21 assists...Three straight hat tricks and 10 game winning goals...Big East Offensive POY, Tourney MVP and NFHCA All American...The shot at a three peat ended in the Final Four when the Orange got revenge in 2015
The 2016 season again successful for the Huskies and Veitner...27 goals and 17 assists where she would net 6 more game winners...All Big East and again, NFHCA All American..."Char" scoring the game winner in the quarterfinal win over Syracuse, only to fall to North Carolina in the Final Four in OT as the season ended 22-2
2017 had high hopes again for Field Hockey...It was a very special season. a 19-0 run thru the Big East again earning her Offensive POY Honors and First Team NFHCA All American Honors with 34 goals, 12 assists and 7 game winners..She took her game to another level in the NCAA Tournament...Scoring six goals, that included 3 in the Final Four. The lone goal in a Penalty Stroke win over Carolina, then scored both goals in the 2-1 win over Maryland to win the National Championship where Charlotte was named the Tournament MVP....the first UConn, undefeated National Championship at 23-0. And to cap the season, "Char" won the Honda Sports Award as the nation's top Field Hockey Player.
Her UConn numbers off the charts. The first and only Husky to surpass 100 goals (118), 62 assists for an unheard of 298 points..with 16 hat tricks...far and away in points and hat tricks, more than any player in UConn History...In the four year run in Storrs, Veitner and the senior class went 87-6 with four Final Fours and a pair of National Championships in bookend fashion.
UConn has produced numerous international talent...many have become All Americans. But no player from Europe would produce more than Charlotte Veitner...The Programs' All Time Leading Scorer and a UConn Legend