For Greenfield’s Raegan Hickey, Wednesday’s signing of her National Letter of Intent was a long time coming.
After graduating from Greenfield High School last spring, Hickey decided to do a postgraduate year at Deerfield Academy. Hickey made an immediate impact for the Big Green field hockey team, and made her collegiate commitment official on Wednesday when she signed on the dotted line to attend Division 2 Stonehill College in Easton.
“The campus, the girls on the team, everyone was really awesome so I knew it’d be a good fit,” said Hickey, who had to sign her NLI prior to the ceremony planned at DA on Wednesday because she had to catch the bus to play a road NEPSAC Class A playoff game against Westminster. The Big Green lost, 1-0, in the quarterfinals to end their season 13-4 overall.
Hickey chose Stonehill over Assumption College, making her decision when she went on an official visit to the campus earlier this month. She had originally been interested last year, but when the school’s field hockey coach left, the process started all over again. Hickey went to a clinic, and that’s where first-year head coach Annie Hansbury and her began a dialogue that led to Wednesday’s signing.
“Just being there for the (official visit), their environment was so contagious and energetic,” Hickey said. “They have a style of play that’s really similar to mine… two-touch hockey, use your speed. Everything involved, it was a good fit.”
The Skyhawks went 11-6 this season, falling to Assumption in the NE-10 Conference quarterfinals.
Hickey said her postgraduate year has been a success. She’s also on the basketball team, where she’ll begin practice immediately now that field hockey season has come to its conclusion.
“It was definitely the right move for me, having that extra year,” she said. “When you’re not that far along in the college process, doing that PG year and getting the education at Deerfield and the athletic experience has been great. I’d recommend it to anyone.”
The Big Green had a successful season with Hickey in the middle of the action. Greenfield High School’s all-time leading scorer, she said the level of play in the NEPSAC was an adjustment, but Hickey enjoyed immediate success. During a preseason jamboree, she scored six goals in three shortened games, and also found the back of the net in the team’s season-opening win over Berkshire School.
“It was definitely different, having that competition every time out,” she said. “Everyone is a solid player, there are no weak links. But getting to play on turf all the time and playing at this level, it’s been great. I honestly was kind of nervous going in. I didn’t know if I’d start, how I’d fit in. But it was nice knowing how much I could help the team.”
Hickey joined a star-studded class at Deerfield Academy that signed NLIs on Wednesday. Other student-athletes to sign included Luca Antongiovanni (North Carolina, men’s lacrosse), Fulton Bayman (Notre Dame, men’s lacrosse), Maddie Clough (Santa Clara, women’s water polo), Hanna Deringer (California, women’s lacrosse), Jake Higgins (Holy Cross, men’s hockey), Addie Laurencelle (Virginia, men’s swimming), Marissa Massey (Army, women’s lacrosse), Victoria Patterson (Duke, women’s cross country), Nick Pecora (Navy, men’s lacrosse), Nikita Pelletier (Northeastern, women’s swimming), Thatcher Smith (Colgate, men’s swimming) and Maggie Tydings (Johns Hopkins, women’s lacrosse).