Senior Series - Hannah Doyle

Since I entered the Hawken Field Hockey Program my freshman year, the team environment has always been special to me. Early in my freshman season, I knew that field hockey and the people who came along with it would become a large and important part of my life. In the past four years of my high school field hockey career, not only did each of our teams put in the relentless and exhausting work day in and day out, but we also took time off of the field to build a family. We had team sleepovers, went out to breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, went to the movies, dressed up for game days, and so much more. I began to look at the young women around me as my sisters, people who I could look forward to being around every day. I know that I would not have seen the level of success that I did if I did not have such powerful women beside me who knew what I was capable of and pushed me to showcase my best self in and outside of field hockey.

In addition, our team was led by the best coach we could have asked for. Coach Cassie was our mentor, our friend, and our voice of reason in tough moments. She made us laugh until our stomachs hurt but also motivated us to work harder than we thought possible. She made us want to succeed not only for ourselves but also for her. She made us want to make her proud. She fostered a community in which each member felt recognized and valued, which is an important factor within a group of female athletes.

This past season, my senior season, was particularly special to me. We had one of the strongest teams we had seen in program history, and our bond was tighter than I had experienced in my past three years. Coming out to practice was a breath of fresh air on tough days. Not only did I genuinely enjoy picking up my stick and playing every day, but being able to do it with my best friends made it even more worthwhile. This season, we beat teams we had never beaten before, we outscored our opponents 80 to 15, and we had 7 all-region awards. We were willing to do whatever it took to make this season one that we could be proud of. In our regular season game against Hudson, we had a storm delay. While we were camping out in the locker room, our team decided that we wanted to sit in there until we were able to play again, regardless of what time that would be. We had school the next day, assignments due, but no one on our team had experienced beating Hudson before, and we were not about to give up and walk away from the field without doing everything we could to take home a victory. I will always remember this team and the lessons, memories, and forever friendships it gave me. Thank you, Hawken Field Hockey for the best four years, and good luck in your future seasons!