On Monday, Nov. 13, 2017, six Central Bucks West seniors were recognized for committing to continue their field hockey careers at the collegiate level.
Peyton Fischer – Bucknell University (Field Hockey)
Major: Applied Mathematics with a concentration in Statistics & Geology
Final list of colleges: Bucknell, Lafayette, Penn, Columbia, Dartmouth, Lehigh
Reasons for choosing Bucknell: “I love it. The people are nice, the coach is amazing – Jeremy Cook has been there 14 years. He’s so nice, he’s great with the girls, I have a lot to learn from him, and I’m excited for what he can do for me. Bucknell is also a really great school. I was considering engineering at first, and they’re ranked fifth in the nation for engineering. You can’t beat that. There are just a lot of opportunities there as well.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I have been playing since I was nine, my dad’s always had in the back of my mind that – ‘You can do something with this, you can be a goalie in college, work hard in school and you’ll succeed.’ I’ve always had that in the back of my mind since I was younger. I thought that would be really fun. It’s a great way to get involved in something and be part of a community that’s different than just your normal school activities.”
Coach Courtney Lepping says: “Peyton was one of our goalies the last two years, and she and Laura Kubit made an extraordinary duo. It was one of those things – I had plenty of riches in that I had two fantastic goalies. Peyton really grew in her consistency this year. She is someone that can make those fantastic saves. She’ll have these amazing games, making saves you couldn’t believe she could stop. She is a leader of our defense. She’s in command back there. The girls know her voice and know to listen to her when she talks to them. She really grew as a goalie these last two years.”
About Peyton:
Favorite food: Pasta or Ice Cream
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite music: Almost all music.
Olivia Fitzgerald – Colgate University (Field Hockey)
Major: Humanities
Final list of colleges: Colgate, Lehigh, Lafayette
Reasons for choosing Colgate: “It was a small school, and I was really interested in going to a school that was about West’s size and a little bigger. It has a really good community, and after you graduate from college, there’s a great alumni network. The academics there are phenomenal, and that was most important to me in the long run.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I actually had no idea I wanted to play in college until sophomore year in high school. It’s sort of funny that I picked field hockey because I played field hockey in first grade and I hated it. My dad said, ‘Maybe you should give it one more shot.’ I was like, ‘Dad, I really don’t want to.’ I ended up playing in middle school, and I was like, ‘This is sort of fun.’ When I started playing with my sister in high school, I loved it. It’s the best part of high school for me, and I want to keep it going as long as I can.”
Coach Courtney Lepping says: “Liv is one of our four-year varsity letter winners. We had her sister before she came along, and she is just a whole another level of quiet confidence, really focused. She possesses a way about her on the field where she is just totally in the zone and totally in command of whatever is going on. She’s someone you look at and say, ‘I’ve got to stay away from her.’ She’s totally in charge and really the last several years has kept our defense together. She’s been a pivotal part of either our attacking defense or our low defense and has just really gotten better and better every year. She’s very coachable and is truly a leader on and off the field. She is someone that could hold people accountable in a way that they respected and trusted.”
About Liv:
Favorite food: Spaghetti
Favorite movie: Any Thriller
Favorite music: Alternative
Taylor Mason – University of Maryland (Field Hockey)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Maryland, Syracuse, Northwestern, Villanova, Boston University
Reasons for choosing Maryland: “As soon as I walked on campus, I fell in love. When I thought of college, the picture that came in my head was Maryland.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “It was kind of a dream of mine from watching my mom do it too. Especially with West having such a great year and being surrounded by girls that went on to play, I just thought - it’s something I want to achieve and I’m going to try to get there no matter what.”
Coach Courtney Lepping says: “I remember Taylor when she first came along as a freshman. She was a little, skinny, fast kid, and we weren’t sure what to do with her. She came along that whole freshman year – her skills developed. I remember the day she called me as a sophomore telling me that she was going to go to Maryland. She was still that skinny, fast kid whose skills were developing. They saw that potential in her, and these last two years you’ve seen the growth of Taylor Mason as a complete hockey player. She has the skills, she has the desire, and she’s brought it all together. She’s learned from every leader that she’s been under and truly grown into a complete player. The fact that she’s going to Maryland – a super hockey school – and is going to complete for a position is just incredible that we have a player like that going on to the next level.”
About Mason:
Favorite food: Mac ‘N Cheese
Favorite movie: Forrest Gump
Favorite music: Alternative
Kaci Murray – Gwynedd Mercy University (Field Hockey)
Major: Biology
Reasons for choosing Gwynedd: “I wasn’t really looking at any other schools. As soon as I went to Gwynedd, it just felt right. Just the environment – I wanted to go to a small school and I wanted to go somewhere close, and the team was really welcoming.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I think I always knew I wanted to play. It was just whether I wanted to stay Division III or do a different division. Then I realized I want to be able to focus on school and not have the sport be the entire focus.”
Coach Courtney Lepping says: “We transitioned Kaci to defense this year, and with any other kid, it could have been a totally different result. But Kaci is so coachable and listened to every pointer that we gave her, and she went out and really fulfilled a need for us and was excellent at it. She played right back, and she just filled her repertoire going into college with things that she can do. You’ll see that play out when she goes to Gwynedd next year. She is just willing to do and go anywhere and does the best that she can with everything she’s given.”
About Kaci:
Favorite food: Everything
Favorite movie: The Choice
Favorite music: Anything
Bridget Naylor – Kean University (Field Hockey)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: Kean, Christopher Newport
Reasons for choosing Kean: “The location and the size. It’s a state school, and I wanted to go to a bigger school.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I started playing club in fifth grade, and that just led to the path that I wanted to play in college.”
Coach Courtney Lepping says: “Bridget has been a part of our program all four years, and she’s progressively gotten better and better each year. It’s really exciting to see a player work to get to this point that they’re able to make it to a college program. We’re excited to see her succeed at that level.”
About Bridget:
Favorite food: Mom’s Mac ‘N Cheese
Favorite movie: Stand by Me
Favorite music: Alternative
Hanne Scheel
Major: Secondary Education/Chemistry
Final list of colleges: Juniata, Cabrini
Reasons for choosing Juniata: “When I went on my visit and did my overnight, I loved the team and the coach. When I was there on my overnight, we had an ice cream party, and I had so much fun and I loved the team.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I have been playing since I started in DAA in second grade, and I always had the idea that I’d probably want to play in college. I want to play DIII because I want to double major. I started looking at colleges, and all the colleges I was looking at and all the schools I liked happened to be DIII schools. I looked to see if they had my major and I decided from there.”
Coach Courtney Lepping says: “Hanne told us in the fall about Juniata, and we’re really excited for her. I think that’s going to be a great spot for her where she can be successful. She is a very good defender who has a lot of skills, and I think those skills will translate into the college game.”
About Hanne:
Favorite food: Ice Cream
Favorite movie: Grease
Favorite music: Pop/Hip Hop
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