On Tuesday, June 1, 2021, Council Rock South seniors Emilia Elko & Karlie McCloskey were recognized for committing to continue their field hockey careers at the collegiate level.
Emilia Elko – Simmons University (Field Hockey)
Major: Physical Therapy (6-year doctorate program)
Final list of colleges: Simmons, Scranton, Ithaca, Northeastern
Reasons for choosing Simmons: “It was between Simmons and Northeastern, but Northeastern has a D1 field hockey program, which I couldn’t play. I connected with the coach at Simmons and I had talked to her for a couple months. She was like, ‘Take your time. I know the process is hard.’ She was so understanding and so supportive. It showed me what my next four years would have gone if I went to Simmons.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “I started playing hockey in eighth grade, which was kind of late. I did it because one of my friends did it, and I thought I’d try it. I instantly fell in love, I made varsity the first day I was there. It came easily to me, and all the people who were around me and supported me – it made it so much better, and I decided to play (in college) last year. I can’t imagine my life without this sport in it.”
Coach Lisa Belz says: “Emilia was a varsity starter for the last two years and really came up big time in the midfield. Her endurance is probably one of the best endurances I have ever seen. She could really run up and down the field and not get tired. She’s very quick, she sees the field well, and she can distribute the ball. One of the main things that sticks out in my head is that a lot of times we would actually put her on one of the opposing team’s best players to shut them down, and she really could do that very well. She could see the field and where the play was developing and denied the ball to that opposing player who made a lot of the plays happen. It wasn’t always a forward. Sometimes it was a midfielder, but she was really able to do that well.”
About Emilia:
Favorite food: Sushi
Favorite TV show: Gray’s Anatomy
Favorite artist: Taylor Swift
Karlie McCloskey – East Stroudsburg University (Field Hockey)
Major: Criminology
Final list of colleges: East Stroudsburg, Temple
Reasons for choosing East Stroudsburg: “I was talking to Temple University during quarantine, I went on my official visit, and I was like, ‘I’m going to go here,’ but then quarantine happened and we just lost contact. I was kind of lost at some point, and I was like, ‘I can’t even play in college anymore,’ but I started emailing a bunch of D1s, D2s and D3s. Finally, ESU hit me back. They said, ‘We really like you, we want to set up a call.’ From there, I loved the school, I loved the program. They had criminology, and I was like, ‘I’m set.’ It’s a wonderful school, a great program, I love the coaches. It’s like a team aspect, so I really liked the team. It’s in a small town – it’s perfect. It’s far, but it’s not too far.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in field hockey at the collegiate level? “Since seventh grade, I always knew I wanted to play a sport in college, but I didn’t know what sport I wanted to play then because I also played basketball and lacrosse. I knew once I got to the high school level I wanted to play college field hockey because I fell in love with the sport.”
Coach Lisa Belz says: “Karlie’s are big shoes to fill. She had two outstanding seasons in goal for our team. She was an all-state player, and that’s one spot that’s going to be really hard to fill. Plus, she was extremely vocal and really dedicated. She was a captain. As a goalie, she was very agile and quick. She loved diving, which is hard to find. Sometimes goalies don’t want to dive, but she loved to dive. She would go after everything. She was vocal and was really able to lead the defense well, helping with the marking and when to go to the ball, calling the shots. She definitely was one of our best players last year.”
About Karlie:
Favorite food: Grilled chicken
Favorite movie: The Conjuring
Favorite music: Country
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