Linda Paynter Rhein was the last line of defense on The College of Wooster’s most successful field hockey team. The 1983 alumna was the Fighting Scots’ goalkeeper and helped the program to a third-place finish at the 1981 Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Championships.
Wooster, which earned the top seed to the national championships that year, opened the tournament with a 3-2 win over Salisbury State College in dramatic fashion. Two flick-offs, the official term for shootouts at the time, were necessary, and thanks in part to Paynter, Wooster emerged from the second one with a 3-2 advantage, thus earning a spot in the national semifinals.
Lynchburg College topped Wooster 1-0 in the 1981 AIAW semifinals. Paynter did her part to keep Wooster in the game with seven saves. However, the Scots’ offense managed just five shots on goal. Paynter was thrust into the spotlight again, this time in the third-place contest against Brockport State University, when Wooster’s foes were awarded a penalty stroke. Paynter stopped that stroke, which would have tied the game, and Wooster went on to win 2-1.
Wooster allowed just 22 goals for the year it finished third nationally. Per an article in The Daily Record, Wooster shut out 12 opponents, while the program also set a season scoring record with 115 goals.
The 1982 team’s co-captain was part of two AIAW Midwest Regional Championship teams, with the first title coming as a first-year in 1979. She was ranked as the top goalkeeper in the nation for part of her collegiate career, and is believed to have held the school record for saves upon graduation. Unfortunately, complete statistical records are not available for parts of Paynter’s career and the early years of the program. She is listed in the program’s record book with 326 saves, a total eighth in program history despite only having an officially-recorded save total for two seasons. She made 136 saves as a first-year and 190 as a senior, with the 1982 total ranking as the sixth-highest for years totals are available for.
“Linda had tremendous focus and she loved what she did,” stated Terri Prodoehl, Wooster’s head coach at the time. “Linda was consistent, and we could always count on her. She worked well under pressure and had a lot of talent.”
Paynter, who chose Wooster for the “small school atmosphere, the friendly students and staff, and the excellent educational opportunities,” attended the College with her twin brother, Scott. She majored in sociology and minored in urban studies. After graduation, Paynter accepted a position within the office of the clerk for the Northern District of Ohio United States District Court. She is currently the deputy-in-charge for the divisional office of the court in Youngstown, Ohio.
Paynter is married to Blake Rhein ’82, and the couple resides in Poland, Ohio. They have three grown children – Kailey, Sarah, and Blake Jr.