How does a celebrated Olympian show her college teammates that she just wants to fit in and be a part of the T-E-A-M? One way is by taking out the trash.
Following the University of Michigan’s win over Michigan State in an exhibition game on Friday at Ocker Field, Abby Tamer literally went from getting off a plane from Paris to helping organize the garbage cans next to the Wolverines bench after the game.
Tamer is clearly loved and supported by her Michigan teammates so she really doesn’t have to prove anything about being all in with the Wolverines – but helping with the postgame duties doesn’t hurt.
It’s been a crazy, amazing and exciting road for Tamer that started in Dexter, headed down I-94 to Ann Arbor, criss-crossed all over the world with the US National Team, and then to France and the 2024 Olympic Games.
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The former Dreadnaught not only represented the USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics (the first Olympian in Michigan program history), but started all five games at forward in Paris and led the USA in scoring with two goals.
“It was a really cool experience,” said Tamer, following the Wolverines victory over MSU. “It was nice to have a whole year of work put into something and then to have it come together at such an incredible event.”
After Tamer scored against the Spartans, some of the fans started a “USA” chant to welcome back the local hero. She scored two goals in USA’s 5-2 loss to Great Britain in pool play.
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The USA team ran into some very tough competition in Paris – it is the Olympics after all. The US squad lost 4-1 to Argentina in its first game before a 1-1 draw with Spain. They lost back-to-back games to Australia (3-0) and Great Britain (5-2) before defeating South Africa 1-0. The Netherlands defended its title from Tokyo, rallying from an early deficit to beat China 2-1 in a shootout in the final at the Paris Olympics.
Tamer says she wasn’t surprised by the “amazing” level of competition.
“I was impressed, but not surprised,” she said. “The speed at the international level is completely different then college. The college style doesn’t necessarily play into the international game as well as it could. That would be a huge step and exciting to be a part of if we went in that direction.”
Tamer, who redshirted last year to train with the Olympic team, says leaving the Wolverines was a difficult decision but definitely “the right decision.” Now she needs to find her spot – and her role – back on the U-M field hockey team.
“We are fortunate to have several upperclassmen with big leadership roles so I need to find a place to fit in with that,” she says. “Coming back after missing a year is going to require a little bit of adjustment but I think using my experience from the past year will be a good way to lead.”
And she wanted to get back onto the field right away – especially against MSU.
“I just got back a couple of days ago and it was up in the air whether I was going to play but I thought it would be a great way to reconnect with my teammates so I wanted to be out there,” she said. “I feel great and it’s good to be back.”
As a sophomore at Michigan, Tamer appeared in all 20 games, starting 19 at forward and registered a career-high nine goals with four assists and 22 points; ranked second on the team in scoring. During her freshman year, she appeared in 19 games, starting nine at forward, and led the Wolverine freshmen with 13 points (four goals and five assists).
Tamer is looking forward to the upcoming season which begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 30 against No. 2 ranked North Carolina. “We have a lot of promise for this team with some good young players, and I’m excited to see their growth during the season,” she said. “It’s good to be back with them. I’m ready to go.”
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Tamer comes from an athletic family. Her dad, Chris, played hockey at U-M and spent 11 years in the NHL. Her mom, Keely, played field hockey at U-M (1989-93) and was a two-time captain. She is currently the Dexter HS field hockey coach. Her sister, Emma, also played field hockey at Michigan (2018-21).
Abby is only 21 years old and is looking forward to finishing her collegiate career at Michigan. She also has plans on playing in the next Olympics. “That’s the goal,” she says. “That’s always the goal. To play at the highest level.”
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