On Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, Wissahickon seniors Brynne Miller, Alli Wood and Julie Schools were recognized for committing to continue their field hockey careers at the collegiate level.
Brynne Miller – Rider University (Field Hockey)
Major: Education
Final list of colleges: Rider, Wagner, Merrimac
Reasons for choosing Rider: “The way I connected to coaches Lori and Dan brought me so much comfort, already making me feel like a part of the Broncs family. All of the girls made me feel so
welcomed, coming up to me separately to get to know me for me. The campus is a perfect fit for me, not too big but the perfect size that fits me. I will be in a different state, so I feel far away but really am only 45 minutes away from home.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “Junior season made me realize how much field hockey means to me and the joy it brings to play with my best friends. I realized the voice I hold on the field and how much happiness it brings me to win and the confidence it brings me as a person. I started formally talking to coaches during my senior year but reached out to several coaches whenever I would go to tournaments over my sophomore and junior year to get seen.”
Coach Lucy Gil says: “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Brynne for four years. My best memory of coaching Brynne is day in and day out how hard she worked. She’s an amazing athlete with an amazing work ethic, and that will take her a really long way.
“When you talk about athleticism, Brynne is really fast and is really aggressive to the ball, and she’ll get there before anybody else. She’s just a really strong competitor. The three of them made a good team as captains. Alli was the voice of reason, Julia got everybody together, and Brynne just worked her heart out. She was always going.”
About Brynne:
Favorite food: Panera Mac and Cheese
Favorite movie: Cinderella Story
Favorite music: “Waves” by Dean Lewis
Julia Schools – Kutztown University (Field Hockey)
Major: Finance
Reasons for choosing Kutztown: “I really liked the coach and the girls on the team.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “Since freshman year, I knew I wanted to play field hockey in college. My dad played soccer
in college and my sister plays basketball in college. Hearing their experiences and watching my sister go through the recruiting process is what made me want to play.
“I started my recruiting process during sophomore year. The Kutztown coach reached out to me and said she loved the way I played. She asked me to come visit Kutztown and to talk to her in person. She offered me a spot on the team and a few weeks later I called her and said I would love to play there.”
Coach Lucy Gil says: “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Julia in field hockey for four years. She has been a starter since her freshman year, which is rare. Julia is an interesting character. She has a really strong personality, and at first, I didn’t know how that was going to go over, and she ended up being probably the best captain I’ve ever had. She surprised me so much.
“Julia’s a great athlete, but my best memory of coaching her was this year how she took ownership of the team as a captain and really displayed amazing leadership skills. She took control of the team and just made us better. She helped the younger players, she was a strong force on defense at center back, and she did her best to keep our team rolling, and we had a very successful season as a result.
About Julia:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: The Hangover
Favorite music: Rap
Allison Wood – University of Massachusetts Amherst (Field Hockey)
Major: Kinesiology
Final list of colleges: UMass, Penn State, Cornell, Columbia
Reasons for choosing UMass: “I selected UMass because of the rigorous academics and competitive athletics. I also felt the welcoming atmosphere and community aspect of the team and
culture.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I started to play field hockey when I was five but started travel and competitive teams when I was nine. I always knew I wanted to play in college because of my grandmother but didn’t start the recruitment process until seventh grade. That is when a few colleges started to first reach out. Then due to the rule change not allowing college coaches to start talking to kids until June 15 going into their junior year, that was the week all of my offers came.”
Coach Lucy Gil says: “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Alli for four years, but I’ve known her a lot longer. She’s just a great kid, and she’s also a really good goalkeeper, probably the best goalkeeper I’ve ever coached. She’s really smart, and she has amazing training. Her technical skills are amazing, and you add to that she’s really quick. Even though you see her go down a lot and gets really, really low, she can spring up in a second. She has such quickness. She’s not really big and she’s not super strong, but her technical training and her quickness set her apart. She’s going to a really good school, and she’s going to be great for them. I’m super proud of her. We worked really well together. It was upsetting that she couldn’t finish out her senior year (because of an injury), but she’s such a trooper, and she was a great captain.”
About Alli:
Favorite food: Pasta
Favorite movie: Legally Blonde
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
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