Field Hockey

The Hotchkiss field hockey program is committed to excellence in and out of the classroom and on the playing field. This pursuit of excellence has warranted an amazingly rich tradition of success since Hotchkiss went coeducational in the fall of 1974. As a member of the Founders League, the Western New England Prep School League and New England Prep School Athletic Council, the varsity squad has compiled quite a noteworthy record throughout its 42 year history.

Offering three levels of competition provides an opportunity for student-athletes of varying ability and experience the chance to participate interscholastically. The varsity, junior varsity and thirds teams practice on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with games typically on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The junior varsity and third teams average 12-14 games per season, while the varsity plays a demanding 15-game schedule against many of the top Division I teams.

Even more important than the win-loss record, the beautiful playing facility or the college placement, however, is the personal growth that each athlete experiences during her field hockey career. Being a part of the Hotchkiss field hockey program teaches the importance of honor, character, hard work, and respect for others.

-- Kaitlyn Perrelle Leonard, Head Coach, Varsity Field Hockey

Under head coach Robin Chandler, the program has reached the pinnacle of New England prep school field hockey and remained there for more than a decade. The team has won 12 New England Class A championships, including 10 consecutive titles from 2002-2011 and most recently in 2014. The Bearcats have also captured 17 Founders League titles (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006-2015) and 12 Western New England Championships (1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010-2015) under Coach Chandler, whose record with the team stands at 303-22-17.

Current head coach Kait Leonard '06, a former standout 4-year player, has continued the longstanding success of Hotchkiss Field Hockey while at the helm. Since 2018, Coach Leonard has led the team to a record of 35-10-3. Her team added to the list of Founders League Championships in her first year as head coach, 2018. They have also been semi-finalists in the New England Class A Tournament in 2019 and 2021 and were finalists in 2018. 

Coach Leonard currently has 12 former players playing at the collegiate level. 

Our natural-grass facility includes two full-sized playing fields, one for the junior varsity and thirds teams. The quality of this playing surface has played a major role in the development of our highly skilled players over the years. In addition, our facility has been the site of three Division I New England Tournaments (1994, 1996 and 1998). Hotchkiss has also been very fortunate to install a synthetic turf field that was completed in the fall of 2006. This terrific facility is the home for our varsity field hockey and lacrosse teams.

Over the years, many of our players have continued their field hockey careers at top Division I and III collegiate programs such as Princeton, Brown, Dartmouth, Boston College, Williams, Amherst, Middlebury and University of Michigan. We have had a great deal of success in this area because Hotchkiss has a reputation of strong academics coupled with top-notch athletics.

Kaitlyn Perrelle '06 -- Princeton
Caite Irvine '07 -- Trinity
Chase Delano '07 -- Middlebury
Amanda Brusca '08 -- Bates
Carla Tamer '08 -- Boston College
Katie Ellis '08 -- Williams
Lucy Jackson '08 -- Middlebury
Meera Sivalingam '08 -- Williams
Chelsea Priebe '09 -- St. Lawrence
Cornelia Burleigh '09 -- Williams
Haley Preston '09 -- St. Lawrence
Lindsay Gruskay '09 -- Amherst
Michelle Burt '09 -- Colby
Ellie O'Brien '10 -- Middlebury
Brady Cooper '11 -- St. Lawrence
Catherine Fowler '11 -- Middlebury
Alison Chute '12 -- Guelph
Katherine Mooney '12 -- Williams
Leah Settipane '12 -- Boston College
Carly Bennett '13 -- Michigan
Olivia Jurkowitz '13 -- Middlebury
Samantha Sandler '13 -- Trinity
Sara Martineau '13 -- Boston University
Priya Sivalingam '14 -- Williams
Elizabeth Horwitz '15 -- Wesleyan
Grace Jennings '15 -- Middlebury
Calla Khilnani '16 -- Williams
Emma Lukens '16 -- Middlebury
Hannah Leckey '16 -- Brown
Olivia Ostrover '16 -- Harvard
Nikki Gerjarusak '17 -- Wesleyan
Myriam Skodock '17 -- Colby
Emma Smith '18 -- Tufts
Gracyn Campbell '18 -- Dartmouth
Olivia Parsons '18 -- MIT
Sarah Hurlock '19 -- Middlebury
Isabella Pugliese '20 -- Boston College
Patricia Hewitt '20 -- Connecticut College
Taylor Leckey '20 -- Middlebury
Nia Butler '21 -- Cornell
Grace Keefe '22 -- Middlebury
Hannah Biccard '22 -- Tufts
Kiernan McColgan '22 -- Wesleyan
Lize Takoudes '22 -- Colby
Mackay Bommer '22 -- Bowdoin
Molly Donegan '22 -- Amherst