Player Spotlight Samantha Jones

Samantha Jones, a freshman field hockey player on the Fitchburg State University field hockey team was awarded Rookie of the Week honors on September the 23rd. Jones is a graphic design major and not only that but she is one of the bright up-and-coming Falcons. On the field, she’s a great teammate and player, and off the field, a dedicated student. The transition from high school to college can be daunting but when asked about the transition Jones said that she was pretty independent in high school so the whole college transition wasn’t too difficult for her. In her first weekly honor for field hockey Jones collected 3 points in the week, two of which came in a conference game against Framingham State. Conference games are critical if the Falcons want to make the playoffs and if Jones can contribute like this in all of her games the Falcons have found something special. Jones has played in all 12 games for the Falcons and has a team-high in points with 17, averaging more than a point per game. When asked what kind of preparations she has before games and practice to have her playing at this high of a level, Jones said, “I hang out in the locker room listening to music and getting hyped and have our goalie(Jenna Morse) braid my hair. Being around the team is the only preparation I need because all of their energy is always so positive before a game.”

Jones had been playing field hockey 6 years before she stopped after her junior year and did not know if she wanted to play field hockey at the college level originally. She had said in an interview “I didn’t think much about playing in college because of experiences in my past, but Coach Quinn was persistent in telling me how amazing the team was not only skill-wise but also their attitudes towards the sport. With a team with such good attitudes towards everything coming to play at Fitchburg State was a no-brainer.” The Falcons, although 3 and 0 in conference play, are 3 games below .500, and as a freshman losing seasons can be discouraging. When asked how she gets through tough seasons Jones said, “A good team attitude” The ongoing theme that should be pointed out is that this field hockey team is very close, and even through tough stretches of games they still keep a positive attitude towards one another. The team dynamic was something that I was interested in learning more about and in the interview she said, “FSU field hockey I can say wholeheartedly so far has been the best field hockey experience I’ve had. Everyone is so friendly and goes out of their way to help anyone on that team on and off the field. Some of the most selfless, uplifting people I’ve met. You can tell it’s more than a team, it’s like family.” This type of dynamic is exceptional to see as this leads to better team chemistry on and off the field. They can build off each other and they will see themselves winning a lot of games this year if they keep it up,

As for Jones, she is a star for this team and when I asked her what her goals were for herself and the team she said that she just wanted to keep herself healthy so that she could keep this great season up. For the team she had said in the interview that she had never cared so much about winning or losing, she just wanted a good team vibe. We hope to see Jones win more weekly awards this season and in her career at Fitchburg State.