This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.

Dickey Becomes the Knights' First Regional All-American

In her four seasons with Westbrook field hockey, both Lili Dickey and the Knights experienced new heights while she distinguished herself as one of the most heralded athletes to ever attend the school.

The senior co-captain defender began playing the sport in middle school under the guidance of her mother and current Knights' Coach Janet Dickey. For her final campaign, during which Westbrook reached the inaugural Shoreline Conference final and state tournament quarters, Lili earned her fourth All-Shoreline Team selection, her third bid to the All-State squad, and was named the 2014 Shoreline Conference Player of the Year. As if collecting those distinctions wasn't enough, Lili was also recently selected as a National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Regional All-American-making her the first athlete in any sport at Westbrook to ever recieve such an honor.

"My time with Westbrook has been incredible and I wouldn't want to change it at all. I chose Westbrook over a prep school and I'm still glad I did that," says Lili, who finished her career with 17 goals and 14 assists. "To come from a little school like Westbrook and earn Regional All-American, it is a huge accomplishment and being a student of the game has helped."

Coach Dickey says that Lili's dedication didn't stop when the final horn blew and that her love for the sport extends beyond the state and spans the globe.

"She will graduate as the most decorated field hockey player in the program's history," says Coach Dickey. "She works on her game year-round, plus she lives, eats, and sleeps field hockey. She will follow national and international teams on YouTube and she soaks it in and then brings that enthusiasm to the team."

Lili's pride for field hockey was generated from her days of being a spectator at Westbrook's practices and games. When it was her turn to suit up for the Knights, it was Lili's time to create a plethora of positive personal memories.

"The passion for the sport comes from both me and my mother. I can remember being on bus rides with the girls when I was younger and seeing their love for the game helped me. Out there on the field, it felt like a second home to me," Lili says. "This year, versus Haddam-Killingworth in a game we needed to win to get into the Shoreline final, I scored our first goal and I never scored against HK. Then in overtime, my mother just gave me a look like I needed to do this for the team and then I just drove down the field, got the ball in the corner, and shot it in. My mother was crying after the goal and I'll never forget the sound of the ball being hit into the cage."

Lili went from being Westbrook's Most Improved Player last year to its MVP this time around, which proved just another example of how she was constantly learning to become more effective on the field.

"I went to several field hockey camps, plus I just had that drive to be an amazing field hockey player. I was also nominated for Regional All-American last year and didn't get it so that also drove me further this year to do it," says Lili. "To be a good scorer, you have to know the angles and goalies' tendencies-whether they like to lie down, come out of the net, or stay in. I also learned a lot from 1-on-1 drills with our goalies in practice. As a defender, I had to trust that my forwards would cover me when I went out toward the goal."

While she is leaning toward attending Connecticut College to study sociology and education while continuing her athletic career, Lili still enjoys reflecting on how both she and her team progressed immensely in just four short campaigns.

"When I was in 8th grade, this team only won two games, but then my freshman year, we made states and it was a huge deal," says Lili, who thanks mother and her father Jeff, along with her club coaches, Beth and Emily Alger. "In both my freshman and sophomore seasons, we lost in the first round of states, yet we reached the quarterfinals last year and we wanted to make it back this year. To get back to the quarters with a team of 13 girls, it was a huge deal and showed we were a force to be reckoned with."