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11/18/2014 11:00 PMHudson Roarick has been a part of many proud moments with various Old Saybrook squads and last week she took the first step toward what she hopes will be a second successful phase of her athletic career.
The senior played soccer, basketball, and lacrosse as a freshman and earned First Team All-Shoreline honors for lacrosse. Following her return from an ACL injury suffered the summer before sophomore year, Hudson focused on field hockey and lacrosse for her junior season and was part of a conference champion team that went undefeated for the regular season as she repeated her All-Shoreline bid and also made First Team All-State with 20 goals and 39 assists.
Achievements like these drew interest from colleges and, on Nov. 12, Hudson signed her National Letter of Intent to play collegiate lacrosse at Division I Presbyterian College in South Carolina.
"I am really excited about it, but I'm also really nervous. It will be really hard, yet I'm excited to play at the next level," says Hudson. "The summer after my freshman year, I started emailing coaches and they replied back. My Nor'easter coaches guided me through the recruiting process and then the Presbyterian coach [Julie Redman] contacted me. I went down there last winter and just fell in love with the school."
Hudson knows there's some anxiety that comes with being a new face in a college athletic program, although she says she was warmly welcomed by her future teammates, who gave her a sampling of the ingredients needed to cook up success as a member of the Blue Hose.
"I am nervous about it, but I met the team already and they told me that as long as I come with the right mindset and really want to play, then I'll be fine," says Hudson, who plans to study business. "I'm ready to have fun with it all."
The Rams' midfielder is aiming for a varsity slot right off the bat, yet she explains that gradually working her way there through the ranks while watching and learning is just fine.
"I'm looking to fit into a starting position for next year, but they have some skilled players," says Hudson, who thanks her entire family and all of her coaches. "I'm going to try to enhance myself as a player and learn from others."
Hudson also plays for Nor'easter Lacrosse in the offseason and endured her ACL injury while competing for that squad, but she battled back to return to the Rams in her subsequent spring sophmore season and earn Second Team All-State and All-Shoreline honors.
"I did a lot of physical therapy that involved a lot of re-strengthening, which was hard, but I got back eventually," says Hudson, who has also twice gained Shoreline Honorable Mention for field hockey. "Coming back to play, I was a little bit nervous, but I just kept playing because I like sports that much."
Rams' lacrosse Head Coach Al Mortali praises Hudson for her class and dedication to the game on the field, as well as off of it.
"Hudson is a great person. She treats people with respect and she receives it in return, not only from her teammates, but also from opposing players, as well," says Mortali. "Hudson is a well-rounded lacrosse player. She can do the draw and switches from midfield to defense smoothly. Hudson leads by example and is a hard worker. She worked very hard in the weight room getting herself into playing shape after her ACL operation. I believe she is the hub of the team as players respond to her and she has a great grasp of the game of lacrosse. She has been one of the most consistent players that I have coached in a long time."
Old Saybrook field hockey Coach Kara Bell acknowledges Hudson's efforts of quickly becoming accustomed to the sport.
"Hudson was a newcomer to the sport her sophomore year and the growth that she has demonstrated in three seasons is impressive, learning a sport that has many rules, specific techniques for playing, and requires a lot of patience with game play and fouls. Her presence on the field demonstrates that she has worked very hard to earn a starting varsity position her junior and senior years," says Bell. "On the field, she plays left defense, which in traditional field hockey play is the toughest position to defend since a player is forced on opposite stick side. Positioning when attacking is so important since a player can be called for reverse stick interference just by having an offensive player dribble down the right side of the field. This makes Hudson a very important part of our game play and she has kept the team in many games by stopping offensive attacks early to prevent opponents from getting in the scoring circle."
Hudson was also a captain on the lacrosse squad that had a 16-0 regular season last spring and says that magical run provided some of her fondest memories as a Rams' athlete, along with her field hockey team's 4-0 upset of Shoreline champion North Branford this fall.
"One of my biggest personal accomplishments was being on that lacrosse team that went unbeaten in the regular season, plus being a captain was exciting. After our last regular season game, people were crying and they were so proud of us," Hudson says. "For field hockey, we also beat North Branford this year, which was the first time we beat them in a while so that was a big win."