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12/27/2023 12:49 PMNo matter how dark things appeared to be a year ago as she missed her junior campaign, Jacqueline Kennedy stayed a persistent source of positivity for her Hand field hockey teammates. This led to her and the Tigers putting together a storybook season as champions for her senior run.
Jacqueline, a three-year varsity member of the Hand field hockey team, was a captain this past season and a strong attack contributor at forward. She recorded 19 goals and six assists after being sidelined in 2022 with season-ending surgery. Additionally for 2023, Jacqueline notched five clutch tallies in the postseason, including an assist on the lone goal of the SCC Tournament final game to Kelly Kilbourn, and the game-winning score in the Class M State Tournament final on an overtime goal via a pass from Kilbourn. This helped the Tigers finish the year unbeaten as SCC and Class M state champions, at 22-0-1.
“There were so many components that helped me, but the biggest was the team,” says Jacqueline. “Last year, I still showed up to every game and every practice. This team was like my second family and was my biggest motivator. This sport is who I am, and we were all just concerned with having a strong mindset and focusing on what we needed to do and to grow.”
While sprinting across the turf can create quite a challenge for Jacqueline, she runs to the test, rather than shying away from it in working with her mates over the middle of the playscape to produce tallies for the Tigers.
“Playing forward can be tough because it is a lot of running to get back and taking hits,” Jacqueline says. “I love working with the midfielders to help get the ball up the field. I also love just getting ready for the balls that come my way and cutting to them.”
Speaking to her knack to come up clutch in the key moments with her monumental playoff points, Jacqueline explains that she was simply being opportunistic in that penalty corner for the extra session, and that she was in the right place and the precise moment while doing her job on the play.
“The state final was a grueling game; it was probably the most running we had done in a game all season,” says Jacqueline. “We had never scored that fast in an overtime. We took the shot, and then Kelly tried to take the rebound shot, and then I just stood on the post and swept it in. It was definitely a great feeling because you want to do it for your entire team. It was like a blur for me after the goal went in; the team was hugging me, and it was a feeling I cannot describe.”
Speaking to her squad’s dominance in the playoffs where the Tigers went 7-0 and posted seven shutouts, Jacqueline details that it was a testament to their growing synergy that was blooming all campaign long, while making a conscious effort to mix things up.
“For us, it was about working together. We were not communicating as strongly in the beginning of the year,” says Jacqueline. “We also wanted to make sure to not repeat things for the second time we played a team.”
Hand Head Coach Sue Leckey notes that Jacqueline’s journey through trials and tribulations last fall were a major source of inspiration for her teammates across the last two seasons–netting her some big-time squad recognition.
“Jacqueline's senior season is a great comeback story. Last season, she was sidelined with a significant health scare that resulted in a season-ending surgery,” says Leckey. “She was an inspiration for us from last season forward, and her commitment and spirit within the team this season was a huge part of our very special chemistry. Jacqueline was also a recipient of the 2022 team’s Mike Niekrash Award for dedication to the game of field hockey, and this season, she was the Coaches Award recipient for her selfless and positive influence on the team everyday of the season.”
Hand has held a lofty status and prominent pedigree within the SCC and state ranks for a lengthy amount of time, and so Jacqueline was so grateful to be a part of it, while gaining a new home away from home in the process.
“This program has such a huge reputation,” Jacqueline says. “Sophomore year was the big turning point for me when I got to play varsity, and saw the team was something special to me. The team motivates me in all aspects of my life, and Coach Leckey is like a second mother to me.”
Looking at the bigger scope of life as she becomes reflective of her tenure with the Tigers' field hockey family, Jacqueline learned a great deal about prioritization of tasks in all of her obligations within her world. She concludes that being part of a special group can simultaneously yield some new revelations about a person themselves.
“I learned it is all about balance,” says Jacqueline. “You have to find that balance when it comes to things that are truly important to you. One of the most special things is being part of a team, and then learning more about yourself through that.”