The Day's All-Area Field Hockey Player of the Year: Waterford's Kameryn Mazzulli
Dec. 22—For an end-of-the-season gift, Waterford High School field hockey coach Molly Quiles bought Kameryn Mazzulli a whistle and some miniature cones.
"I told her one day she'll be a coach," Quiles said of Mazzulli. "So start your collection of cones."
Not that Mazzulli has any intention of coaching yet. Just that Quiles believes she could if she so chooses.
A staunch senior center back who will play Division II field hockey next year at Adelphi University on Long Island, Mazzulli has coached in a local feeder program, run a clinic at Waterford's Clark Lane Middle School as part of her capstone project — a requirement for graduation at Waterford — and stopped numerous times in the middle of practice to guide her own teammates.
Mazzulli, who has twice earned all-state honors in her career, this season named to the Class M second team, was named The Day's 2022 All-Area Field Hockey Player of the Year.
"She's not too good (to help other people), she's not snobby, she's just Kam," said Quiles, who has known Mazzulli since she had her in science class as a seventh grader. "She taught (the Waterford players) as much as I have. She taught me things.
"She's a team player. She's the kind of kid you want. She's coachable. 'What can I do? What's going to make me better?' As a captain, she was invaluable. She just was such a leader and teacher. I think she's excellent, excellent all around."
Mazzulli comes from a family of competitors. Her sister Regan played field hockey at Wittenberg University in Ohio, recently completing her senior season, while brother Tristan played football at Elon in North Carolina.
The family's field hockey talent, meanwhile, extends to Mazzulli's mom, Kelly, and aunt, Laura. Kam had a field hockey stick in her hands beginning when she was 7 or 8, developing her ballhandling skills, unlike many players who aren't indoctrinated into the sport until they're in high school.
Those two afflictions combined, competitive spirit and love for field hockey, left Mazzulli in tears as a freshman when another player got the starting nod instead of her.
"I think I grew up with it. I was pretty much surrounded by it," Mazzulli said of field hockey. "My mom signed me up for a feeder program, the Southeastern Connecticut Youth Field Hockey Club out of East Lyme.
"I would just grab a stick inside, hit the ball around inside by myself, just in my living room or the mudroom tile floor. (My mom) would join in sometimes. ... I really love the community around (field hockey). Everyone knows everyone in this sport. I think I grew to respect everyone in the game. I talk to the refs and just try to make friends on the field."
The capstone project involving the clinic at Clark Lane was completed at the end of Mazzulli's junior year. She had 15 players sign up, which led to an influx of numbers on this year's high school team.
Waterford was 6-9-1 during the regular season, 6-5-1 in the Eastern Connecticut Conference, qualifying for the ECC — the Lancers lost to eventual champion Stonington 3-2 in the semifinals, with Mazzulli scoring two goals — and Class M state tournaments.
Mazzulli, who despite being a defender took a number of shots for the Lancers on penalty corners and penalty strokes, finished with six goals. She also competes for the HTC Field Hockey Club (short for "Hear the Cheers") and volunteers her time as part of the local youth field hockey club where she once began.
At Adelphi, Mazzulli hopes to major in marketing with a minor in digital marketing, all while still playing and serving as an ambassador to the game she loves.
"Freshman year (at Waterford), I told all my friends to play," Mazzulli said. "I held a clinic in the middle school to get people to play because no one plays it. I want to get more people to play. I also coach for the Southeastern Connecticut youth program now. I want them to keep playing; we just do really fun games, we make everything fun but competitive."
"I have pictures of Kam when she was in eighth grade, fifth grade, every year coming to do it," said youth program director and coach Amy Lloyd, formerly the head coach at East Lyme High School. "Then when she aged out after eighth grade, she's come back every single summer to volunteer, given her unwavering support. She has a genuine love for the game. She loves it so much. She's never been paid once. She's not selfishly doing it. She not just cares about making herself better, she cares about growing the game."
The Day's 2022 All-Area Field Hockey Team
Player of the Year — Kameryn Mazzulli (Waterford)
Forward — Sophie Ash (Fitch), Ashleigh Holmes (Fitch), Anna Lettiere (Stonington), Nora Walsh (Stonington)
Midfield — Delaney Belcourt (Westbrook/Old Lyme), Alice Hu (Fitch), Gracie Lloyd (East Lyme), Brianna Plew (Stonington)
Defense — Charlotte Cabral (Fitch), Emma Spathakis (Stonington)
Goalie — Madi Allard (Stonington)
Utility — Tess Briggs (Waterford), Caroline Daugherity (East Lyme)
