Beccia Puts the Pieces Together for Success
Anna Beccia dabbled in various sports while growing up, but found a true fit when she was in 5th grade. Anna started playing basketball, and the sport quickly became one of her passions. Anna is now a member of the girls’ basketball team, as well as the field hockey squad, at Daniel Hand High School. She’s also a captain for both teams.
“Basketball was the first sport I became serious about and where I learned to be part of a team,” says Anna. “It’s a great feeling to have people you can count on.”
Anna’s life as an athlete expanded when she decided to give field hockey a try in 7th grade. She likes the differences between field hockey and basketball, but also appreciates the big role that teamwork plays in both sports. As a senior, Anna already has several seasons of varsity experience in each sport to build on during her final year wearing a Tigers’ uniform. With the field hockey squad, Anna was a swing player in her freshman season, before becoming a full-time varsity player as a sophomore.
Anna is now leading the team as a captain with Erickson Richard and Hattie Burt. The trio found out they would be captains at the end of their junior year. Anna says that working in tandem is coming naturally for them, because they’ve been playing field hockey together since the 7th grade. They guided the club through practices and conditioning during the summer.
“I love leading, helping, and guiding everyone. And by showing a presence in the summer—when most people want to be at beach—really shows we have to be focused, even in the offseason,” Anna says. “I was hoping I’d be a captain, and to be someone other girls look up to is great. It’s so much easier when you’ve been playing with people for a while and really know how to work with each other, work as a team, and how to make each others’ skills stand out.”
The Tigers have high hopes for this season and are looking to repeat their success from last year, when Hand won both the SCC and Class M state titles. Anna says the championship run was “amazing and something I never experienced.” Of course, it’s something that she’d like to experience once again.
“We lost so many players from last year, so as captains, we’re trying to keep it all together,” says Anna. “We still have all the pieces. We’re just trying to figure out how to put them back together.”
Hand is off to a solid start with its record of 4-2-2 this fall. Last week, Anna scored the Tigers’ only goal of the game when they earned a 1-1 tie versus perennial rival Guilford. Anna leads the Tigers in scoring with five goals and three assists on the year.
“One of our forwards got it down the side, and Maeve Connors gave me a pass on the baseline, where I made a really short-angle shot right past the goalie,” says Anna. “It was a pretty evenly matched game to that point, and scoring that goal was the greatest feeling.”
Another one of Anna’s favorite moments came early in her high-school career. As a freshman, Anna was the only athlete in her grade to make the field hockey team’s varsity roster. While she admits it was “really scary,” the experience proved fruitful for Anna as the Tigers won the SCC Tournament that year.
“The rush when everyone ran on court has stuck with me throughout high school,” says Anna. “Any time I think of ‘team’ and what it means, that’s what I think of—everyone coming together to give their all.”
Anna’s appreciation for people unifying for a complete effort extends beyond her teammates. Anna feels grateful for her parents’ ongoing support through the years, along with a number of her coaches, including Hand field hockey Head Coach Sue Leckey, girls’ basketball Head Coach Tim Tredwell, and John Cuddy, who was her youth basketball coach.
“Coach Leckey has helped me tremendously, has seen me develop, and helped push me past my limits. She knows what I need to work on and how to get me to do the best I can,” Anna says. “Coach Tredwell has done so much for everyone on the team and shown everyone so much support. The whole aspect of basketball is a team-first mentality, and it really is a second family.”
“My youth coach, John Cuddy, was an amazingly positive and inspiring person,” adds Anna. “His positive attitude made me love the sport and love being part of a team. Although he was my coach in 5th and 6th grade, I still see him on the sidelines of my high-school games.”
Coach Leckey says that Anna is a passionate student-athlete who is competitive on the field and conscientious in the classroom.
“Anna is a dedicated, hard-working, coachable, and a caring teammate,” says Leckey. “Her constant effort is very visible in our games and practices. She is consistently working to get us results and she never gives up.”
Anna is looking forward to her senior season on the basketball court. Anna will also serve as a captain for that squad in the winter, this time alongside Summer Adams and Sara Wohlgemuth. The trio emphasizes their slogan, “Team First,” which is emblazoned on all of their shirts.
“It’s what’s most important in any sport—you’re out there playing for your teammates, to make them better. It’s not about yourself, but your team as a whole,” says Anna, who played for the Tigers when they won the Class L state title in her sophomore year. “With basketball, we also have all the pieces we need to succeed, but it’s a matter of getting everyone working as a team, because that’s what’s going to win it for us in the end.”
While proving a force on the field the past few years, Anna has also established high academic standards. She’s been a regular on the honor roll while taking honors and Advanced Placement courses throughout her time at Daniel Hand. Anna plans to study nursing in college and is already looking at Villanova University and the University of Vermont.
“It’s definitely difficult taking rigorous honors and AP courses and still maintain a full focus on sports, but it’s something I chose to do, and it’s something I really enjoy—my academics and the sports,” Anna says. “Even though it’s tough, it is worth it.”