Senior Katie Clarke has become Loudoun Valley’s first D1 field hockey commit. Starting in the fall of 2025, she will continue her athletic and academic career at the University of Delaware. 

Clarke has been playing field hockey since first grade, and it wasn’t until early middle school that she decided she wanted to carry her passion into college and compete at a higher level. 

One thing that helped her succeed was her extreme dedication to field hockey, as well as setting goals for herself and working hard to accomplish them. 

“My biggest motivation is making realistic but also challenging goals, staying on top of them, and prioritizing them to make sure I get them accomplished,” Clarke said.

They have been there for her during her highs and lows and always push her to do her best. 

“They are there to pick me up when I fail and cheer me on when I succeed.”

 Being an athlete means that there are going to be both rewarding and difficult times, but to Clarke, the highs definitely outshine the lows.

“The best part was definitely winning states this last season, that was really exciting. Our goal as a team is to win states again this season.”

Clarke shares that the most challenging part was that sometimes her best wasn’t good enough.

“The most frustrating part was that even in the hardest games, you put forth as much effort as you can and then you don’t win. You have to take that and learn from it.”

Clarke was looking for  a college with a field hockey team competitive in their division, a school where her academic goals could be met, as well as a location that wasn’t too far from home. 

 “I felt Delaware was a good fit for my academic goals and that the team environment was something that I wanted to be a part of. The school is only two hours away, which is a nice balance between being away from home and having access to my family if I need them.”

The recruiting process has a heavy impact on any athlete. Clarke says that it was one of the most stressful time periods of her life. 

“It was 2-3 months full of  traveling and calls with coaches. Just the communication in general was a really stressful thing to handle.”

Clarke’s advice to athletes going through the recruiting process now is to release the pressure and take a deep breath.

“You’ve put yourself in a good position for success and now you just have to roll with it and see where life gets you.”