HS FIELD HOCKEY: Abington Heights' Zalewski commits to Division I school
Jan. 20—Madison Zalewski searched for a new way to challenge herself athletically, and she found her passion.
A multi-sport talent at Abington Heights, the junior took up field hockey in seventh grade. Through a commitment that included competing for a club team, she has reaped the benefits of her hard work with all-star and all-state selections.
But it all paid off recently when she verbally committed to continue her academic and athletic careers at Old Dominion University, an NCAA Division I program that is a member of the Big East Conference.
"It is kind of relieving to have made this decision," the 16-year-old Zalewski said. "You don't know what the future holds, but I have the decision made, and I know that I made a really good choice. I can see myself growing as a person there.
"It is very exciting."
Zalewski, whose father Bill is the baseball coach at Abington Heights, is a starter for the girls basketball team, a sprinter on the track and field team and also played softball. She started playing field hockey after her mother Christine encouraged her to give the sport a try in seventh grade.
It has turned out to be a rewarding decision. Zalewski helped build the Lady Comets program into a championship team.
In her sophomore year, Abington Heights finished 8-2-2 and lost to Wallenpaupack, 2-1, in the first round of the District 2-4 Class 2A playoffs.
Last fall, Zalewski, a midfield/forward, scored 18 goals and had 19 assists for the Lady Comets, who started 14-0 and were winners of the Wyoming Valley Conference Division II championship. The season ended with a loss to District 4's Selinsgrove in the District 2-4 Class 2A playoffs.
"A lot of the girls on the team are in my grade, and we have been playing together since seventh grade," Zalewski said. "We work a lot through the summer and in practice, and we have been building, improving our skills, and getting better every day. Our coach (Glenn Carr) did an amazing job of building our program."
After the season, Zalewski earned a spot on the Pennsylvania Coaches Association's Class 2A all-state second team.
The recruiting started in the summer of her freshman year with her play on the Electric Surge Field Hockey Club Team. In addition to Old Dominion, she also considered Louisville, Fairfield, Albany and Temple, which are all NCAA Division I programs.
"They always tell you to start emailing colleges really early," Zalewski said. "I started in my freshman year, and last year I started looking at schools when I would go to tournaments with my club team. The summer before my junior year, my first call I received came from Louisville, and I was nervous. That set the tone for the process.
"There were times when it got stressful, but my coaches always told me to enjoy the process, and I did."
At Old Dominion, which finished 15-3 last season for coach Andrew Griffiths and lost, 3-1, in the Big East final against Liberty, Zalewski will be teammates with former Delaware Valley standout Mackenzie Olsommer, who played in 10 games as a freshman.
"I was able to connect with the coach a lot the last couple of months," Zalewski said. "He was very personable. He cared a lot about the mental health of the players. I got to talk to one of the players, and she stressed how much the coach cares about each player individually.
"I went to a camp in the summer with Mackenzie, and I am excited to be playing with her in a couple of years."
Contact the writer: jbfawcett@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9125; @sportsTT on Twitter
