On Thursday, March 6, 2014, Central Bucks West seniors Maddie Shields and Caitlyn Lowry were recognized at a special news conference for committing to play field hockey at the collegiate level. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/forms/college-signings.
Caitlyn Lowry – Susquehanna University (Field Hockey)
Major: Accounting
Final list of colleges: Susquehanna, Bentley University, Muhlenberg
Reasons for choosing Susquehanna: “I decided on Susquehanna because I fell in love with the campus right when I got there. The coach was great in the whole recruiting process. When I met the team, they really welcomed me in and made me feel like family. Just their whole program and the way they play together and their strategies just really fit what I was looking for.”
What was the progression that led you to playing field hockey at the collegiate level? “I started thinking I wanted to play field hockey pretty much my freshman year of high school. I fell in love with field hockey. I’ve been playing since second grade, so I knew it was something I enjoyed doing, and I just wanted to continue doing it as long as I could.”
Coach Courtney Hughes said: “When I first came over and was working with the defense, Caitlyn was the one I noticed was really interested in getting better. From the time that I got here, she has just worked her tail off to just improve in every way. She’s a strong defender who you can really count on in the backfield, especially this year. She was our only senior in the defensive backfield. She’s very calm – she’s a calming force, and she’s grown a lot more confident in the two years that I’ve gotten to watch her develop. I’m really excited for her to have a chance to go on and play at Susquehanna. She’s a neat kid.”
About Caitlyn:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Finding Nemo
Favorite music: Imagine Dragons & Philip Phillips
Maddie Shields – St. Joseph’s University (Field Hockey)
Major: Undecided but leaning toward Political Science
Final list of colleges: St. Joe’s, Catholic University
Reasons for choosing St. Joe’s: “I loved it there. I went there when I was in eighth grade for a club practice, and it just felt right. I went to different schools, different campuses trying to find that feeling, but I always came back to St. Joe’s. It had that nice home feeling.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate field hockey? “I’ve always loved hockey. I don’t think I really sat down and told my mom that I wanted to play until the end of my sophomore year. Our junior year we went to the National Hockey Festival in Florida, which is huge for college recruiting, and that’s when the recruiting process started.”
Coach Courtney Hughes says: “Maddie is someone who is just so technically sound. She has some of the prettiest to watch tackles. She’s very low on her tackles, and she does some great things on the field. She knows the game and has a great game sense as a midfielder. She likes to distribute the ball, she likes to get involved in the defensive aspect as well. At the beginning of the year this year, she really wanted to be a midfielder because she wanted to have the opportunity to help our offense. She’s a team player. Both Caitlyn and Maddie were part of our captain group this year, and the neat part is the team looked up to her because they respect her hard work and her ability to just smile and be someone they can easily talk to. She has a lot of great things that will translate into the college game.”
About Maddie:
Favorite food: Anything sweet
Favorite movie: The Rocker
Favorite music: Fun
- Log in to post comments
