When it comes to sports, we all know that boys get most of the attention. We, girls, thought it was about time that our fellow females get some notice! Meet a few of our favorite female Bentley athletes to watch this year, both in the fall and spring!
Name: Hannah Gerry
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: Marketing
Sport: Field Hockey
(Position/Races): Midfield
When and why did you start playing this sport?
My cousin played for Syracuse University and it was a new and exciting sport to play. People started playing in middle school so it was an even playing field to start and to learn the sport as I was late in the game to start playing sports in general– I did ballet pretty seriously for 11 years and didn’t start sports until then.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
My favorite part is getting to represent Bentley on and off the field, having people identify me with the sport of field hockey. My most memorable moment was scoring the game-winning goal in over time against defending National Champion UMass Lowell last year. I was shocked and in absolute awe before it really hit me that we beat them. We ran to the center of the field and tackled our teammates in a big pig pile. Best feeling ever.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
I wear an underarmour arm band and I always wear two layers of blue pre-wrap as a headband. I have to make sure no wispies get in my face! Nothing more frustrating than getting hair in your face during a game!
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Name: Kaitlyn Riley
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: Corporate Finance & Accounting
Sport: Field Hockey
(Position/Races): Goalie
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I started playing in 7th grade to try to convince my parents to let me play ice hockey. My injury history in more tame sports wasn’t very convincing.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
My favorite moment being a Bentley Athlete was our win against UMass Lowell last season.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
My team in high school listened to “Stairway to Heaven” before our first win, so I still listen to that before every game.
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Name: Cori Geiger
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: IDCC
Sport: Women’s Lacrosse
(Position/Races): Attack
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I started playing lacrosse in 5th grade.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
My favorite part: Lacrosse has always been my way of de-stressing and letting loose, so getting to play in college has helped me stay grounded and focused while learning to balance school, friends and sports.
Most memorable moment: There are so many memorable moments, but I would say my most memorable moment was last season (spring 2012) we finally beat Dowling (a team we had never beaten before) and our coach started crying at the end of the game because she was so proud of us, it really brought the team together and showed that when we play hard and work together, we can do great things.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
I have an obsession with my hair being perfect before I play. I sometimes spend 15 minutes fixing my hair in the locker room before going out to play. I don’t know why I do this, because it gets messed up in the first 5 minutes of a game anyway, I guess it’s my way of concentrating on something else before a game so I don’t overthink what we have to do to win. I also always put my mouth guard in my right sock during our warm up, that is always a pregame ritual.
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Name: Dovlyn Curtis
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: Marketing and LSM Global Perspectives, Minor: Entrepreneurial Studies
Sport: Women’s Lacrosse
(Position/Races): Defense/ Midfield
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I started playing lacrosse freshman year of HS. I wanted to play lax because it looked very fun and I wanted to challenge myself in a different sport competitively.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
My favorite part about playing sports at Bentley is definitely all the memories and friends I have made over the year through athletics.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
I do not have any rituals.
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Name: Carly Taitz
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: IDCC
Sport: Softball
(Position/Races): Pitcher
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I’ve been playing softball since I was 7 years old. I started playing because my older sister always played and my dad coached.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
My favorite part of playing softball is our spring break trip to Florida each year.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
I don’t have any big personal ones, but before each game we say our team prayer and either play a game or do a dance circle to loosen up.
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Name: Kelly Mazza
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: Accounting
Sport: Swimming
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I started swimming when I was six on a recreational team. All my friends were doing it so I signed up too.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
The most memorable part of being an Bentley athlete was last spring when both our boys’ team and girls’ team won New England’s. It was exciting because we hadn’t done that in a long time.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
It’s nothing creative, but I like to eat pasta the night before.
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Name: Nadine Edwards
Graduation Year: 2015
Major: Management
Sport: Swimming & Diving
(Position/Races): Distance
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I started to swim when I was 8 – I wasn’t good at that point, but still wanted to be good at something. Everyone should know how to swim and being on a competitive swim team taught me how to, as well as compete!
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
Most memorable moment of being a Bentley athlete was during the 1000 freestyle race. It was a close race, I’ve never had to stay with someone for an entire race and I dropped 16 seconds from the last time I swam it. On top of that, I got the meet record! The swimmer that had the meet record before me called the UVAC pool to tell me congratulations on breaking her meet record set in 2005.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
As a Bentley swimmer, we always have pep talks from our coaches that really get you into a great mood. Other than that, the only thing I love to do is listen to music to get ready for a race!
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Name: Andrea Leahy
Graduation Year: 2013
Major: Bachelor of Arts in Media and Culture
Sport: Swimming
(Position/Races): Backstroke and Individual Medley
When and why did you start playing this sport?
I started swimming competitively when I was six years old. My parents placed me in the sport because I took to swimming almost naturally and they could never keep me out of the water. When I saw my older sister (five years older than me) join the local club team I begged my parents to let me try out too. Here I am sixteen years later still at it.
What is your favorite part and/or most memorable moment from being a Bentley athlete?
My favorite part of being a part of the swim team is the amazing amount of support we give each other. My team has become my second family and we support one another in and out of the pool. It reflected the most last year when both team’s rallied together to take home the NEISDA championship titles. As much as swimming is an individual sport, we could not have pulled off that victory without pushing one another to our best potential.
Do you have any pregame rituals or winning secrets we should know about?
Mary Kay always knows what to say to get the team riled up before big events. I usually like to get behind my lane early and visualize my race while blasting music in my headphones. What I listen to really depends on what degree I need to be pumped up or calmed down before my race.
Make sure to keep an eye out for these leading ladies in their upcoming matches!