On Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2019, Wissahickon seniors Hannah Havrilla, Meghan Reilly & Grace Ball were recognized for committing to play field hockey at the collegiate level. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery at the following link: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/p1013743825
Grace Ball – Appalachian State (Field Hockey)
Major: Communications with a minor in Marketing & Advertising
Final list of colleges: Appalachian State, Maryland, Towson
Reasons for choosing Appalachian State: “Appalachian State has a great coaching staff and a good team atmosphere. It’s a beautiful campus, and they offer a wide variety of majors and minors to choose from.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “The level of play I experienced playing for my club team, X-Calibur, sparked the desire to continue at that high level in college. The recruiting process started my junior year when I attended festival in Florida over Thanksgiving.”
Coach Lucy Gil says: “Grace is a four-year varsity player, and in the three years I’ve been there, she’s played every single game. You don’t take that kind of kid out. She can be a game changer in a lot of instances. She was our center midfielder and led our team in goals and assists. She cracked the top 10 of my all-time list. She’s got an amazing shot – from the top of the circle, it’s like a bullet, but the thing she does best is she completes all of her skills at top speed. You see some kids dodging or doing this and that, and they have to slow down to do it. Grace accelerates as she’s dodging. You teach them to do that – you don’t expect them to do it, but you teach them, and she would do it. I think that’s what made her so effective getting down the field. She could get around people quite easily because of her speed. That was a big part of her being so successful.”
Field hockey accomplishments: Captain as a senior. Four-year first team All-SOL American Conference selection and two-time first team PSHFHCA All-State.
About Grace:
Favorite food: Mac and Cheese
Favorite movie: Good Will Hunting
Favorite music: Pop, Rap & Alternative
Hannah Havrilla – Central Michigan University (Field Hockey)
Major: Education
Final list of colleges: Central Michigan, Pace University, Franklin & Marshall
Reasons for choosing Central Michigan: “I selected CMU because of the beautiful campus and atmosphere. Central Michigan is a big school 
with a small school feel. Also I am able to continue my education and play field hockey at the Division I level.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “My dad was a college athlete, so there was a positive influence with sports and competition from an early age. I played multiple sports at age five on, including swimming, lacrosse and field hockey. I began to think about playing at the college level as I was entering high school. The recruiting process started for me in eighth grade when I joined a competitive club team and attended a National Field Hockey Festival in Florida where many college coaches were present.”
Coach Lucy Gil says: “All three of them were captains, but they were all such different captains. Hannah was the vocal captain, so she was the cheerleader and the motivator, and she was also more of a general out there. She was my center back, and she saw the entire field. Her passing is so good. She can pick you out a mile away and get the ball right to you. Her specialty was the center part of the field and controlling how the ball moved up and down the field.”
Field hockey accomplishments: Captain as a senior. Four-year varsity player who earned all-league honors for three years, including first team All-SOL American recognition as a junior and senior. Two-time second team PSHFHCA All-State.
About Hannah:
Favorite food: Chicken Parmigiana
Favorite movie: Sixteen Candles
Favorite music: Pop or Rap
Meghan Reilly – Hofstra University (Field Hockey)
Major: Speech Pathology
Final list of colleges: Hofstra, Pace
Reasons for choosing Hofstra: “I chose Hofstra because of their excellent coaching staff, beautiful campus and tremendous speech pathology
and audiology program.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I decided I wanted to continue to play field hockey freshman year of high school. Prior, I played the sport for fun with friends but once I joined club it changed. I realized there is a large community behind the sport, and I wanted to continue to be a part of it past high school. I began the recruiting process by doing research online, looking for the best school that fit all my needs both academically and with field hockey.”
Coach Lucy Gil says: “Meghan had a really great year her junior year, and last year she was really wonderful as well. She was always up there in terms of her save percentage, and she was a super aggressive goalie. The reason I also picked her for captain is the fact that she was such a leader on the defensive end. I’m a very defensive kind of person, and that’s where we put our strongest player, that’s where we start from. Meghan was so great about making sure everybody did their job, and she was always very specific. She could see the entire defensive field, and that’s what makes her a really special goalie.”
Field hockey accomplishments: Captain as a senior. Earned All-SOL American Conference recognition for three years, including first team honors as both a junior and senior. First team PSHFHCA All-State as a junior and second team as a senior.
About Meghan:
Favorite food: French Fries
Favorite movie: Guardians of the Galaxy
Favorite music: Pop/Rock
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