It is an impressive feat for a freshman to make a Hockaday varsity sports team. Even more impressive to make varsity teams for three different sports. With hard work, three Hockaday athletes have achieved this feat.

Freshmen Meredith, Evie, and Emily have done just that. The girls have not only made varsity three times but have helped their field hockey and soccer teams accomplish two Southwest Preparatory Conference championships. This spring, they all hope to win their third SPC championship.

Although the three girls play the same sports in the winter and fall, they differ in the spring. Emily and Meredith are playing on the varsity lacrosse team. Evie is running track and was just selected to run at SPC.

“I didn’t even think I was going to make varsity,” Meredith says. “But I think that my past experience with all those sports definitely helped me to make varsity on all three.”

All three girls have played soccer in the past and are currently on the Dallas Texans club soccer team in addition to varsity. Meredith and Emily have also played on previous lacrosse teams.

Emily made one varsity team without prior experience, playing as the field hockey goalie. “I never played [on a field hockey team] before, so it was an unexpected surprise when I found out I made varsity field hockey.”

Going into varsity for each sport, Meredith admits that she is usually “intimidated at first, but as the season progress[es], it [gets] really fun.”

Evie says, “at first I was scared, especially for field hockey but in the last few weeks I really started to feel comfortable. When soccer came around, I was scared again with the new sport and new girls. For track, I’ve definitely gotten used to it quickly and we are a very tight team. Even though we do different workouts, we practically spend our entire Saturdays together at meets.”

Varsity lacrosse coach Elia Kochan says that “It is fun to work with the freshmen. They are willing, eager, competitive and athletic.”

In order to make the freshmen more comfortable going into varsity lacrosse, co-captain Maggie has “met with the freshmen a few times to see where they are throughout the season.”

The other freshman on varsity lacrosse this season is Catherine, who also made varsity field hockey.

Co-captain Taylor says varsity lacrosse has random bonding activities, such as going to support the St. Mark’s lacrosse team after their own games.

Emily says that all the team bonding activities this year “made her more comfortable” as part of the varsity team.

Senior Sarah has been on varsity field hockey, soccer and lacrosse with Meredith and Emily this year and says she is “honored to have been on all three teams with them. They both have adjusted really well to the competitive varsity environment…it’s not only their athletic abilities that have made them great teammates. Both of them are kind, dedicated, and loyal people making them not only great teammates, but also great friends.”

Varsity lacrosse co-captain Allie Kirchhofer says the team’s goal for SPC “is to win SPC this year. I know we can do it—winning will be a matter of will-power, focus, and intensity. If we come together as a team, no one will be able to stop us.”

Coach Kochan’s main strategies for bringing varsity lacrosse to victory are to “win the draw, make good decisions, take care of the ball, and play as a unit on both [attack and defense].”

After winning the field hockey and soccer SPC championships, Axmann says she feels that besides athletic ability, camaraderie is key to winning a lacrosse SPC title.

In order to keep the team motivated during SPC, Taylor says she will “want to lighten the mood sometimes with dance parties, performances by ‘The Claudia Benitez’ and ‘cool lax gear.’”

“I’m very excited, and to have three SPC [championships] my freshman year would be amazing. I’m definitely really determined and motivated to win, and I just hope we win. I can’t wait,” says Meredith.

Hockaday’s biggest competitors this year are Episcopal High School (EHS) and St. John’s, both from Houston. Earlier this season, Hockaday beat St. John’s by one but lost to EHS by one.

According to Kochan, Hockaday placed “third in both 2009 and 2010. Last season, the team lost to EHS by just one goal in overtime with four seconds left. EHS became the eventual 2010 SPC champs.”

Hockaday’s current record stands at 7-2. The SPC championship will take place on April 29 and 30 at Fort Worth Country Day School.

—Tiffany