On Wednesday, May 16, 2012, North Penn seniors Shannon Keen and Emilie Ikeda were recognized for signing letters of intent to play collegiate field hockey.
Emilie Ikeda – American University (Field Hockey)
Major: Broadcast Journalism
Final list of colleges: American, Temple, Quinnipiac, Syracuse, Columbia
Reasons for choosing American: “I love Washington, D.C. – I like the city atmosphere. (American) has a fantastic broadcast journalism program with great internships due to its location. In addition, it has reputable academics and a very talented field hockey team. The girls on the team are very nice, and I get along really well with them. I also love the coaches and their coaching techniques.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate field hockey? “I started playing field hockey in seventh grade with school but started indoor field hockey with my club team in ninth grade after realizing my love for the sport playing as a freshman at the high school on their turf field (entirely different game on turf). My junior year I joined WC Eagles, the number one ranked club team in the nation, where I was exposed to elite playing and many national tournaments. The coaching and girls there really challenged me and helped me to dramatically improve. WC Eagles forced me to take field hockey seriously and helped me reach a level fitting for American University – I never thought I’d be ‘good enough’ to play for a team like American, but thanks to WC Eagles, I was able to commit there! The recruiting process seriously started for me in the winter of my junior year when I was playing indoor field hockey with WC Eagles, and I verbally committed to American in the spring of my junior year.”
Former coach Carrie Jankowski says: “Emilie was on the high school team for four years and started for three years. In her sophomore year, she had flashes of greatness, but she struggled a little bit with her confidence. She continued to grow as a player, and her junior year I thought she probably was our most consistent player. She just really committed herself and continued to grow and continued to develop, and I thought last fall she was just outstanding. We didn’t have a player of the year award in the league this year, but I really think it would have come down to a really hard choice between Kayla (Kenney) and Emily, and that says a lot about both players because I think Kayla is phenomenal too.
“Honestly, Emilie is probably the person that I’m most excited to see at the college level because I think she’s just going to keep growing. I don’t know if her career will allow her to get into coaching, but she’s such a hard worker, she’s so well spoken, and it will be a shame if she doesn’t get to pass that on to kids.”
About Emilie:
Favorite food: ‘Although I have many, I love ice cream…all kinds!’
Favorite movie: The Proposal
Favorite music: Taylor Swift, Yiruma, and Billy Joel (wide variety)
Shannon Keen – Bucknell University (Field Hockey)
Major: Psychology
Reasons for choosing Bucknell: “Beautiful campus with amazing academic and athletic achievements. Bucknell was not initially a top school for me until I visited the campus and had the opportunity of meeting Coach Jeremy Cook. The team’s relationships with each other and high expectations fit my needs perfectly.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate field hockey? “My recruiting process started in the winter of my junior year by contacting many coaches, both in state and out of state. I requested an opportunity for them to see me play at a tournament at Disney. After receiving feedback, I refined my search by the spring and contacted these coaches again to watch me play in the National Futures Championship in Virginia Beach. Throughout the summer, I went on visitations and met with coaches to discuss their team and the possibility of playing with them.”
Former coach Carrie Jankowski says: “Shannon shared the started (goalie) job as a sophomore. When she was a freshman, I made Emily force her to play club with us. I said, ‘We need a goalie. Go back to your school and ask your goalie to play.’ Shannon was really into softball. At the first practice when she showed up with her mom, I said, ‘We don’t have a goalie. The job is yours if you work hard.’ She was still really into softball, but from that point forward, she started working really hard. She’s such a good athlete, and she developed into a fantastic goalie.
“Her parents did the right thing and got her more help than I could provide. I would never pretend to be a goalie expert. Shannon just worked hard. Marla Petriello was an awesome goalie too, and there’s a lot to be said for their attitudes – they never say die, and if you have that anchor in the back, it helps a lot. Having Shannon obviously was a really important part of our success, especially in the big games when one big save can make a difference. Bucknell is a great fit for her because she’s a smart kid.”
About Shannon:
Favorite food: Mac & Cheese
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
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