Kind, poised, driven, compassionate, and humble are some of the words many use to describe Varsity Field Hockey captain Sage Piekarski ’23. Hailing from Concord, Massachusetts, Piekarski’s athletic origins lie in ice hockey, a sport tantamount to a family tradition in her household. However, upon attending a field hockey clinic with a friend in the 7th grade, she “picked up a field hockey stick and never looked back.” She remarked, “It was all I was doing 24/7, and it’s become my passion over time.” This passion is emulated by Piekarski’s biggest field hockey role model, the University of North Carolina’s Erin Matson: “Every time she’s on the field, she’s all over the place. You know she’s giving 100% because she never stops working from the start of the game until the end.”
Despite only being a member of the Varsity Field Hockey team for two seasons after entering Deerfield as a new junior, Piekarski has quickly made a resounding impact on the team’s success and culture. As a new junior, Piekarski accounted for 21 goals and 13 assists, leading the team in points from her center forward position. Her remarkable play earned her a Top 100 spot in Max Field Hockey’s 2023 national player rankings. Teammate Caitlyn Lodge ’24 praised Piekarski’s technical abilities, such as her speed and her shot, but also the penchant Piekarski has “to lead by example.” Additionally, teammate Lilly Oliver ’26, regarded Piekarski as “inspiring” since “she leads the team through kindness” She added, “I’m grateful that I’ve gotten to play with her this year.”
Piekarski’s prioritization of kindness has been paramount in the way she’s tried to cultivate a collaborative and close-knit team culture: “One of the values for our team this year was to create a team culture where everyone felt they as though they were valued and knew how much they were being valued, no matter what their role was because each role is just as important as any other one.”
The seeds of such a team culture were planted last year during Deerfield’s game against. Taft, which Piekarski cited as her favorite memory with the team: “Taft last year was a super strong team, and we were definitely the underdog coming into that game, but we [were also so strong] and we had great captains that really led us through, and it was the first game that we really played as a team, and every person played their hardest, and we ended up winning [2-1].”
One of these captains was Maddy Zavalick ’22, who currently plays field hockey for Yale University. Piekarski regards Zavalick as one of her most inspiring teammates throughout her career, stating, “Maddy was a great captain, but more so than [that], she was a great person and she really embodied that in how she led.” The aspect of the game that Piekarski appreciates the most is that “there are no superstars in field hockey. I think in other sports it can be very individual, but in field hockey there’s no one person that’s doing it all.”
Piekarski will continue her field hockey career at Harvard University (Division 1) next year, a fitting match seeing as she is able to solve a Rubix cube in under two minutes (a pastime she partakes in before games). Piekarski, who committed in June of 2021, has always wanted to attend Harvard. She said, “It’s just a place where I really felt at home when I visited; it’s a great coaching staff, it’s a great group of people, and I’m really honored that they saw something in me.”
Piekarski’s ultimate goal at the collegiate level is to win a National Championship, but she also aims to leave a positive impact on her future teammates and community, similar to what she has done in the Valley over the last two years. Piekarski has been successful in imparting her passion for the sport and positive attitude onto others, but especially those junior to her. Head Field Hockey Coach, Kristen McVaugh, stated Piekarski is “one of the most skilled field hockey players that has ever come through [Deerfield’s] program,” as well as “a terrific role model and leader for our younger players.” Coach McVaugh believes that Piekarski’s success in the sport results from the time and effort she puts into practicing and playing.
However, the anecdote that embodies Piekarski’s character, not only as a field hockey player, but also as a person, is one from a USA field hockey camp—Piekarski recalled, “I had this one coach, and at the end of the camp she wrote me a letter that said, ‘[Your] talent as a field hockey player will take [you] far, but [your] heart as a human will take [you] way farther,’ and that’s the most special thing that anyone has ever told me.”
Whether one knows Piekarski on the field, in the classroom, or her everyday involvement in the Deerfield community, the positive energy and kindness that emits from her is unmissable and inspiring. Her outstanding character, coupled with her remarkable talent as an athlete, merits her a much deserved recognition as the Athlete of the Issue.