COLLEGE FIELD HOCKEY: S-VE GRAD PIERCE GARNERS ANOTHER HONOR FOR WILLIAM SMITH (2020-04-17)

BY TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
GENEVA — S-VE grad Kelsey Pierce has received the Charles P. Boswell II '50 Award as the William Smith College field hockey team's most outstanding player for the 2019 season. It's one of several honors the senior has received during her four-year career with the Herons.

"I am very grateful to have received this award. To me, this recognition is an attribute to the countless hours spent training in and out of season over the past four years," she said. "At William Smith, my biggest goal was to work as hard as I could to make our team the best that we could be. By receiving this award, it gives me the feeling that the hard work has paid off and it pushes me to give nothing but my best in my future endeavors as well."

The midfielder was also selected to the 2019 Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Academic Squad, making her a a four-time honoree. In addition, the Herons were named a 2019 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA National Academic Team.

The National Academic Squad recognizes student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or higher through the first semester of the academic year and the team honors institutions with a 3.0 or higher GPA during the fall semester.

Pierce was also named to the All-Liberty League second team, as well as being selected a Liberty League All-Academic all-star this past season.

During her career, Pierce received the Madeline Buckley '15 Award, given annually to a student-athlete who best displays character, teamwork and citizenship. Buckley was an All-American soccer player at William Smith. She also earned the Beverly Singer '74 Field Hockey Coach's Award, given to a field hockey player for work ethic, leadership, community service, and scholarship.

Pierce was also named to two honor societies — the Hai Timiai for seniors and the Laurel Society for sophomores and juniors — during her career, and was also named a NFHCA Scholar of Distinction as a freshman and sophomore.

She said that although all the honors she's received are special to her, she tends to separate her academic and athletic successes.

"My personal goal at the beginning of the season, and even beginning my first year, was to obtain team and individual league honors, so meeting that goal of being a second-team All-Liberty League selection gave me a huge sense of accomplishment," she said. "I felt that the recognition demonstrated my personal growth over the past four years, so for that reason it will always be something that I cherish. "

Pierce went on to note that the athletic honors are not just an individual honor, but also a team honor.

"Without my teammates pushing me and challenging me every day, this goal would not have been met," she said.

"Unlike with athletics, academically I was never working towards reaching a specific goal or being inducted into honor societies. Instead, I just aimed to make the most of my education and expected academic success from myself. For these reasons, I feel slightly more accomplished receiving athletic honors, since I know how many hours went into it year-round."

At S-VE, pierce was a four-year varsity letter winner in field hockey and was voted a first-team All-League all-star in 2014 and 2015, and received second-team All-League honors in 2013. She also won the 2014 Becky Grap Rodriguez Award, a memorial award given to a field hockey and track & field athlete.

Another notable accomplishment in Pierce's high school career came in 2014 when the Panthers won the Disney Field Hockey Showcase championship.

Pierce also played basketball and competed in track & field at S-VE and was named IAC second-team all-league in basketball in 2016.

The class salutatorian at S-VE, she also participated in the GST BOCES New Visions Health Careers program senior year.

Following graduation from William Smith, Pierce will fill a dual position as a clinical research coordinator and associate with the Cancer Center Protocol Office Breast Oncology team at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Mass General is the No. 1 hospital on the East Coast and is ranked No. 2 in America by U.S. News and World Report.

While Pierce's future looks bright, she will always have wonderful memories of her time in a Herons uniform.

"Playing field hockey at the collegiate level has by far been my most memorable college experience, and probably the most memorable experience of my life so far," she said. "I am so grateful that I was able to play for William Smith. I have had the most amazing coaches and most supportive teammates along the way and have built relationships that will last a lifetime. It has shaped me into the person I am today, as it taught me how to be a part of something way bigger than myself, developed leadership skills, and enhanced my work ethic. I cannot express how much taking my field hockey career to the collegiate level has meant to me."

Pierce offers some good advice to high school players who might be considering taking their talents to the next level.

"I would advise any youth or high school players that would like to take their skills to the college level to start now," she said. "The jump from high school to college athletics is huge — every player there was the star on their high school team. I don’t mean that you should stop playing other sports and put all your effort into one, as many coaches actually prefer multi-sport athletes, but rather work hard in the off season to develop your skills, fitness, and work ethic.

"One thing that was very beneficial to me was joining a club team and/or joining leagues to get more game experience. That may not be an option for everyone, but there are plenty of ways to develop your skills and your work ethic from home. For example, in my case that involved practicing stick skills in the living room but that can be expanded to almost any sport — work on your ball handling skills, head to the courts to work on your free throws, practice pitching in the yard — there is always an opportunity to get better."

——————

IN PHOTO: Kelsey Pierce. ... PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN COLTON / WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGE