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12/02/2020 11:00 PMCierra Brundage had no idea that she would wind up playing field hockey, but decided to give it a shot when some of her friends encouraged her when she was in 7th grade. Cierra never looked back and wound up putting together a quality career with the field hockey team at Westbrook High School.
“My mom used to play for the high school when she was in school, so she just told me to play. I didn’t think I would like field hockey, so I skipped out my 6th-grade year,” Cierra says. “When I got into 7th grade, I learned that all my close friends were doing it, and they all said playing was so much fun.”
Cierra had tons of fun while competing for Westbrook throughout the past few seasons. Cierra recently finished her senior year as a right defender for the Knights, helping the team notch two wins and three ties during a shortened fall campaign. Cierra’s best memory of the season came when Westbrook notched a 3-0 win over Haddam-Killingworth for its initial victory in 2020.
“My favorite moment from this season has to be when we first won a game,” says Cierra. “Our first game of the year [a 4-0 loss to Old Saybrook] was unfortunate, and it definitely took a toll on some of us. It made us play harder. I remember when one of the girls on my team scored the first goal, and we all jumped on top of each other in excitement. It helped us turn our season around.”
Westbrook went on to get a tie against Old Saybrook in the rematch between the teams. Cierra ultimately made the All-Shoreline Conference Second Team for her excellent performance on defense during the season.
One of Cierra’s favorite components of field hockey is that it’s a team-oriented sport. Cierra likes the selfless nature of the game and the fact that no contest can be won by one individual.
“I’ve always liked the team aspect of field hockey,” Cierra says. “You can’t get things done by yourself. You need to be able to work with others to get the job done, whether that’s trying to score or playing defense.”
Westbrook Head Coach Janet Dickey has really enjoyed working with Cierra for the last four years. Cierra’s work ethic and overall approach to field hockey earned her the respect of both the Knights’ players and coaches.
“Cierra is a versatile player who has probably played on every line at one point or another in her career at Westbrook. She was an outside defenseman this year and earned Second Team All-Shoreline honors for her hard-nosed defense against our opponents,” says Dickey. “Cierra’s love for the game and her teammates is contagious. I look forward to watching her grow in the next phase of her playing career as she goes on to collegiate field hockey.”
Aside from playing field hockey, Cierra is a captain for the girls’ indoor and outdoor track and squads at Westbrook. In 2019, Cierra was a part of the Knights’ 4x800 relay team that took third place at the Shoreline Conference Indoor Championship, garnering All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention.
Cierra has a goal of becoming a nurse practitioner after she graduates from Westbrook. Cierra is planning to study nursing and continue her field hockey career at Elms College in Massachusetts.
“I think I’m most looking forward to meeting new people and experiencing the world on my own in college,” Cierra. “That’s definitely going to be a big change for me. I’m looking into the nursing program at Elms College and, hopefully, I will continue my field hockey career there.”