First Year Fridays: Field Hockey

Chicopee, MA - With COVID-19 stalling our fall season, the Elms College Athletic Department will be showcasing our first year Blazers every Friday. Next up is our Field Hockey program. Follow along and get to know more about your fellow Blazers!

The Field Hockey program brought in three new players in 2020, here is a little something about each STUDENT-athlete.

Coach Lapar had this to say when asked about this first year class. "I am very excited about how this freshman class will continue to grow, develop and contribute to this team individually and as a strong class together. Their personalities, skill, and positive attitudes are invaluable."

Name: Sam Bonneau

What brought you to Elms College? I chose Elms because of the small campus that is very welcoming. I was interested in Elms because of their Nursing Program and being able to play field hockey.

What made Elms stick out to you more than other college interests? Small campus - felt very safe, everyone very friendly.

What are your pre-game rituals? Will not wear two braids, no haircuts during season - lucky fuzzy socks on game day.

What's a quote you live by and why? "Virtually nothing is impossible in this world if you just put your mind to it and maintain a positive attitude." -Lou Holtz/ This is my favorite quote because it pushes me to have a positive mindset and to achieve my goals.

Who inspires you to be the driven STUDENT-athlete you are today? High School Coach - very inspiring - pushed the team to go to club teams and set up summer programs for teams to go in summer to improve.

Name: Makenzie Messier:

What brought you to Elms College? Coming from a small high school I wanted to have the same academic environment in college with small class sizes and more personal relationships with the professors. Also having the opportunity to play both field hockey and softball was a huge part in my decision to attend Elms. 

What made Elms stick out to you more than other college interests? The one thing that made Elms stick out to me is the community. Everyone on the campus was so friendly and welcoming. I instantly felt at home here at Elms. 

What are your pre-game rituals? My pre-game rituals are listening to music and stretching. I listen to music to get focused on the game ahead and stretch to get loose, so I don't tense up. 

What's a quote you live by and why? "Every experience, good or bad, you have to learn from." To me this quote means that there is always room to improve and that every experience has something that you can learn from. 

Who inspires you to be the driven STUDENT-athlete you are today? Someone who inspires me to be the driven STUDENT-athlete is my sister, Madison. She also played field hockey and softball here at Elms. She always knows how to help me either in school or on the sports field. She is always my biggest supporter and will always tell me if I need improving somewhere. People always say I have big shoes to fill, but I tell them I wear my own shoes and that is just our friendly sibling competition talking.

Name: Victoria Accorsi

What brought you to Elms College? My great aunt went here years ago, and to this day, she is still friends with those who she had friends with here. When I came for a tour and walked through Berchs I said, "this is where I want to be." It is the perfect distance from home and is the home away from home.

What made Elms stick out to you more than other college interests? Distance from home and the small, catholic school, was the perfect size, transition for me. Also, for me, it is out of state, but not too far out of state, and no one from my high school went here. A fresh start.

What are your pre-game rituals?I listen to a big playlist, and get hyped up with my teammates. Jump 5 times before the line.

What's a quote you live by and why? "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians Chapter 4. V13 Since I have gone to Catholic school all my life, my faith has been very important to me, and when I'm having a bad day, I know I will be strengthened and it will make me stronger at the end of the day with whatever I'm going through.

Who inspires you to be the driven STUDENT-athlete you are today? My Mom. She is my best friend.