Athlete Stays Well-Rounded at Hockaday
The March edition of Park Cities People, which I’m sure you’ve devoured by now, includes a story about Hockaday senior Catherine McGeoch. The University Park resident and former Hyer Husky is a two-sport athlete, playing both field hockey and lacrosse for the Daisies.
What I did not know — until Catherine’s mom, Cindy, sent me a note to say how much she enjoyed the story — is that Catherine is also a tap dancer. She performed in her school’s production of Anything Goes between field hockey and lacrosse seasons.
If you have not read Marley Malenfant’s story about Catherine, I’ve included it after the jump.
Hockaday senior Catherine McGeoch walks into the lobby with her crosse, the stick used to play the sport.
She just finished dance class and wanted to be ready for practice. Along with being a two-sport athlete, McGeoch also coaches first-grade lacrosse.
Recognized for her accomplishments as a student-athlete, McGeoch was a finalist for the 2013 Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship, which went to The Colony’s Eric Yang in January. (Highland Park’s Nathalie Rathjen was another finalist.)
“Sports are a huge part of my life,” McGeoch said. “I’m a competitive person, and I think other people recognize that.”
Introduced to lacrosse in fourth grade, McGeoch started playing the sport at a clinic near her University Park home. She picked up field hockey in seventh grade when the sport was established at Hockaday.
While both sports are played with sticks, lacrosse is based on finesse, while field hockey is aggressive. Last season, McGeoch suffered a broken finger.
“There’s something about swinging sticks,” she joked. “[Field hockey] can be violent sometimes, like if a player swings their stick back too far. A girl missed the ball and went right through my finger.”
In Texas, lacrosse may be considered a niche sport, but for those who enjoy playing competitively, there are clubs in the Dallas area. UT-Arlington sophomore Mark Eason was skeptical about moving to Texas from Maryland, where he grew up playing lacrosse, but he now plays for a club in Fort Worth.
“When I moved here, I was doubtful that I’d find a team,” he said. “Lacrosse is saturated in Maryland.”
During McGeoch’s sophomore year, Hockaday won a state championship in the Texas Girls High School Lacrosse League, giving the team bragging rights on campus.
“No one at Hockaday has let us forget how much we talked about it,” she said. “We’re such a close group. We love to tell everyone how we are doing.”
Hockaday lacrosse coach Elia Kochan said the team has enough leadership and poise to win another title this year.
“All of the athletes work hard during practice and games to compete at the highest level,” she said. “We will look to our strong group of seniors and juniors to lead us back to our conference finals and to another run at the state title.”
McGeoch won’t choose a college to attend until later this spring. However, she plans on continuing to play both lacrosse and field hockey.
“I definitely want sports to continue to be a part of my life,” she said. “I find that I’m more productive in my studies when I play sports.”
