Wake Forest Athletics
Deacon Sports Xtra: Deacon Sports Xtra: Tight-Knit Community Elevated Kozniuk, Wake Forest Field Hockey
1/12/2022 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
“I was so happy to have the opportunity to compete and study at Wake Forest. What is so unique is everyone’s investment in each other. The student-athletes felt seen and important to the administration.”
This piece is a member of a series of stories to celebrate 50 Years of Women's Intercollegiate Athletics at Wake Forest, presented by Blue Cross NC.
The Wake Forest field hockey team got a taste of tournament action in 2013, falling to North Carolina in both the ACC Tournament and then in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
They came back the following spring in excellent condition and motivated to make a deeper postseason run.
Rising senior Anna Kozniuk, who earned second team All-American honors in 2013, spent a lot of the summer on campus working on a drag flick shot, a specialty play off a short corner.
The training paid off, as Kozniuk connected on a pair of those shots to help send the Deacs to the ACC Championship match, which they won 2-0 over Syracuse to claim the program's first title since 2006.
"They were such a successful program before I got to Wake Forest and I just wanted to be a part of that," Kozniuk said. "To be able to bring back a championship was a big deal. We worked so hard and were so deserving of that championship.
"Everything just clicked. We were a pretty young team my sophomore year with a big incoming class. It was so much fun. I always look at that ACC Tournament, because every play we'd worked on the previous two years, everything just clicked. It was a really special experience to be a part of that."
Kozniuk's older sister Emily played at Boston College and they had both decided that the ACC was where they wanted to compete.
"The only reason I found out about Wake Forest was because both my sister and I wanted to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, just to play with the best and compete against the best," Kozniuk said. "We wanted to develop to be our best and then the academic institutions are quite good in the ACC.
"We watched them play in the Final Four in 2007 and I knew then I wanted to play for Wake Forest."
A Canadian from North Vancouver, Kozniuk took a gap year between Argyle Secondary and starting her collegiate career at Wake Forest, during which she competed in the 2010 Commonwealth Games for her home country. She had the complete support of Wake Forest coach Jennifer Averill.
"She is one of the most incredible and supportive coaches and mentors I've ever had," Kozniuk said. "The way the Canadian system is set up, anytime you commit to an American club you're essentially written off there for four years. I had been a part of that program for two-and-a-half years. Going to India and competing in the Commonwealth Games is a big deal here. Other than the Olympics, that is the best option for playing on the world stage."
"Go live your dream," Averill told Kozniuk according to her recollection. "Go travel and experience the world. You'll come back a different person with maybe even a different view of what you want to study at Wake Forest."
Once she arrived at Wake Forest in 2011, Kozniuk was amazed at the tight-knit community and family atmosphere that carried over from her recruiting visit and through her entire four years as a Demon Deacon.
"Once I drove on campus, it just felt like home," Kozniuk said. "I met (associate athletic director) Dwight Lewis on the recruiting visit and he's someone I also look for at our home games. There are people from other sports interested in how we were doing as a program. That's something so unique to Wake Forest and something I wanted to be a part of."
She wasn't promised anything other than an opportunity in Averill's program, but Kozniuk took full advantage from the start, earning ACC Freshman of the Year and All-South Region First Team honors in 2011.
"It's a family community," she explained. "When you're in these high pressure programs you forget sometimes to look at the big picture and to just have fun. When I got there as a freshman, there weren't any expectations other than to just work hard.
"I knew going to Wake Forest was one of the top-five programs in the country, so my mindset going in was just to work as hard as I could and learn. Jen made every practice fun and interesting. Everyone just got along so well, all four years. I worked really hard to make an impact and get playing time, and it just fell into place."
Kozniuk garnered All-American and All-ACC honors all four seasons at Wake Forest, and she credits Averill with much of her success.
"She brings intensity to every drill," she said. "She makes sure you do the little things right, because those will transform to the big moments. She held us accountable to working hard, being there for your teammates, being prepared and always having fun. I do miss some of her pregame inspirational motivational speeches. They could always get you prepared for the game, the day or the class."
Off the field, Kozniuk majored in communications and entrepreneurship, with a minor in global enterprise. After Wake Forest, she achieved a Master's in sports management in Ireland. She now works as a product manager for a sports clothing company in Vancouver.
"The program I was studying at Wake Forest set me up for success," Kozniuk said. "It gave me a well-rounded point of view for working with communities, which is super unique to Wake Forest. They made sure you worked with the Winston-Salem community and took into account how your work interacted with the broader community as well as other groups on campus.
"I was so happy to have the opportunity to compete and study at Wake Forest. What is so unique is everyone's investment in each other. The student-athletes felt seen and important to the administration."
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