SHRUB OAK, N.Y.—For most athletes, being an eighth-grade varsity player on a perennial powerhouse would be about as challenging as it can get. But for rising Lakeland freshman Kendal Williams, getting a chance to test her field hockey skills against some of the nation’s best may have been an even more intense test.
Williams, who’s expected to make an impact in her second varsity season as a Hornet, earned a spot in the USA Field Hockey Nexus U16 Junior Championships, which took place at the USA Regional Field Hockey Training Center on July 10-20 in Virginia Beach, Va.
“Participating meant a lot to me because it’s such a privilege to be selected,” Williams said. “It’s inspiring to be able to compete alongside the best field hockey athletes in the nation and makes you want to work even harder. I was selected last year for U14 and knew making the next level would be difficult. I worked hard through the long tryout process to be selected for U16, and it means so much to see my hard work pay off.”
Williams said the best part of the experience was getting to play at a high level with the most talented field hockey athletes in the country at a facility that includes two artificial turf fields.
“You have to quickly pull a team together with people you are meeting for the first time and come up with corner plays and game strategy,” Williams said. “I also enjoyed making connections with coaches and making new friends through team bondings. In addition, I enjoyed making special USA-themed hair ties and bag clips for my team to bring us closer together.”
Playing against such high-quality competition forced Williams to quickly refine her technique to compete at such an advanced level.
“It also increased my decision-making abilities, focus and expanded my skill set,” Williams said. “In order to be able to perform at that high level, I was able to learn to constantly adapt. For example, on corners, my team needed a stopper, so I was able to immediately learn the skill and execute it in games.”
Williams is entering her second varsity campaign, going into 2025 preseason tryouts for Lakeland, which made it to the Class B state finals in 2024.
“Last year I mostly played left forward and left midfield for varsity as an eighth grader,” Williams said. “My Lakeland field hockey teammates and coach Sharon Sarsen have prepared me for Nexus in many ways. I am most grateful for the many opportunities coach Sarsen has given me through the youth clubs, leading up to my freshman year.”
Recent Lakeland graduate and University of Vermont-bound Gabby Santini, the state player of the year, was selected to the U21 squad.
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