Field Hockey, Track & Field
Favorite athlete: Katie O’Donnell
Favorite team: Phillies
Favorite memory competing in sports: Honestly, there are so many good memories, but last year when we were considered the underdog and we beat CB South.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that happened while competing in sports: When my friend’s shoe came off, and she was playing with one shoe.
Music on iPod: Everything Ghetto
Future plans: Go to college, play field hockey and possibly major in engineering or whatever is going to make me successful and happy.
Words to live by: “It’s never too late to shoot for the stars.” “It’s all about how you finish.”
One thing I want to do before turning 30: Run a marathon
One thing people don’t know about me: I used to take ballet lessons.
By Mary Jane Souder
Katrina Marger is one of those players coaches love to have on their teams
North Penn field hockey coach Shannon McCracken recounts the story of her squad’s early season distance run and how her senior captain responded when one of her teammates was struggling.
“We had this mile challenge, and there was a player we needed to get under eight minutes,” McCracken said. “After Katrina ran her mile, she went and ran with this kid.”
Talk to Marger about running the last lap of the mile challenge with her teammate, and it’s clear that kind of response comes naturally to the senior midfielder.
“It was a goal for our team to all get under eight minutes, and, of course, I knew she could do it,” Marger said. “I think she would have gotten it anyway, but the last lap is the hardest, especially when you’re the last one.
“It was hard to push herself. You want to finish strong, so I was like, ‘All right, come on, you can do it. Let’s go. I know you have it in you. It’s not your legs giving out, it’s your mind’ because that’s what coach McCracken always says.
“So I just encouraged her a lot and helped her finish. I could barely keep up with her the last 100 because she was sprinting. It was just awesome because I feel as though all the support of her team really helped.”
For Marger, the team always comes first.
“She has been a great leader this year,” McCracken said. “She’s talking all the time, encouraging her teammates.
“She’ll pull a teammate aside at practice and say, ‘Hey, this is what coach wants you to do.’ If a player is having a bad day, she very much encourages them. She’s really a positive person, and she’s a great role model because of her work ethic.”
Working hard is something Marger takes seriously.
“I always try and keep the work ethic up,” she said. “That’s one of the big keys. Sometimes we get a little comfortable.
“When people get down, I just remind them that they’re a good field hockey player. There were cuts, and you made the team for a reason. It all comes down to how hard you work.
“You earn your spot. We’ve changed who starts and the amount of playing time, and I think that’s awesome because you never should be comfortable with your spot. You should always be working hard. I feel that’s a good thing when we’re pushing each other and always making it competitive when we’re at practice.”
Marger, according to her coach, brings valuable intangibles to the team.
“She doesn’t have a lot of statistics, but she does so much on the field,” McCracken said. “She’s an unsung hero because of the way she competes – she makes a lot happen, but it doesn’t show up in the scorebook.
“She’s such a good role model, and some of the younger kids are taking on some of her qualities. I wish I had more of her.”
On the field, the senior left mid is part of the team’s offensive and defensive corner team.
“She’s relied on a lot on the field,” McCracken said. “What I like most about her is her competitiveness and her aggressiveness. She under control when she’s aggressive.
“She’s consistent and just has a will and fight to win. She is the same exact player at practice as she is at games. She goes hard whether it’s a team run, a drill or a game against a rival in the conference.”
Sports have been part of Marger’s life for as long as she can remember. She began playing softball at the age of five, and it wasn’t long before basketball, lacrosse, golf, tennis, and field hockey entered the picture.
“I loved them all,” she said. “They were all great.”
By the time she was in ninth grade, Marger was focusing on hockey and, after opting to not try out for the high school varsity, was named the captain of her middle school team.
Marger’s older sister, Julia Mae, was a member of the high school varsity, and it became Katrina’s goal to make the varsity as a 10th grader. She did and found herself in the starting lineup when a senior was lost for the season because of a concussion.
“I really worked hard at it,” Marger said. “My sister and I went to the turf all the time. I think it’s so fun. It is literally my favorite thing to do. If there’s any time, it’s always field hockey.
“My older sister and I have always done a lot of stuff together, and having her play field hockey – she always pushes me to do better, and you always want your siblings to succeed. That definitely had a big influence on me. It was someone to play with, someone to encourage me, someone to tell me what I needed to work on and that type of thing.”
Marger played basketball last winter – her final season with the sport - and in the spring decided to go out for track to stay in shape. She ended up following in the footsteps of her sister – who also went out as a senior for the first time - and threw the javelin.
“I wanted to run because I like to run and stay in shape,” she said. “I would do the distance workouts, and after practice, I would always be pretty much the last one there, and I would go out and do javelin.
“I’m not the best runner compared to the track people because they train all year long. I wanted to be more involved, and that was an awesome way. I went to all the invitationals because we didn’t have a lot of javelin throwers.”
Marger went on to earn a spot in districts in the javelin and plans to go out for track again this season.
“She did well for a first year javelin thrower,” coach Jim Crawford Jr said. “We are looking forward to her returning this year to continue her exploits with the javelin.
“Both sisters are good workers as evidenced by the fact that they both worked out with the distance runners, which is the most challenging of our practice groups in track. Each day after their distance workout, each one would go to work on throwing the javelin. It would have been interesting to have both of them on the track team at the same time.”
Just as Marger is a welcome addition to the hockey and track teams, she is also a welcome addition to her school community.
“She’s a really positive person,” McCracken said. “I talk to a lot of teachers about my student-athletes, and the teachers love her because she participates, she’s positive, she really tries hard, and she’s so polite to everyone in the building.
“The custodian staff knows her very well because she’s just that type of kid. She walks around the building, and everyone knows who she is.”
Marger also excels in the classroom. She is a member of the National Honor Society and takes a course load of honors and AP classes. Although she has no definite plans for her future, she is considering an engineering major. Penn State is one of her top college choices, and if Marger joins her sister in State College, she would play club hockey. She is also looking into playing at the Division II or III levels.
“I definitely do want to play hockey,” she said. “I would never give that up.”
Wherever she goes, it’s a safe bet Marger will be a positive addition to that school community as well.
