All-Tidewater Field Hockey Player of the Year: Tabb’s Kate Fiest spearheaded back-to-back unbeaten state title runs

Kate Fiest has had a dominant couple of years.

In 2021, Fiest helped lead Tabb to an undefeated season and a state championship. Then, this season, she did it again.

Fiest, the 2022 All-Tidewater Field Hockey Player of the Year, racked up 55 goals and 28 assists on the way to a 24-0 record and a second consecutive Class 3 state championship in her final season with the team before embarking on her new journey with the Delaware field hockey team.

For Fiest, also the Class 3 Player of the Year for the second straight season, it was the perfect way to end her career as a Tiger.

“It’s just the best way to end it, honestly. I always hoped that we could do it but there’s always that thought in the back of your head where it’s like, ‘If we lose this game, it’s on us.’ It’s a reflection on the older girls,” she said. “Going out undefeated was the best feeling ever. It was almost like a weight was lifted off everyone’s shoulders. Like, okay, we did, we can relax now.”

Going out on top with the girls she calls her closest friends has been special for Fiest. But getting to add another piece of hardware to the family trophy case is the icing on top. Fiest’s older sister, Courtney, helped lead Tabb to three state titles as a player, and served as an assistant coach during this year’s campaign as well.

“We have a little competition going in our heads, I think,” she said with a laugh.

According to Tabb coach Wendy Wilson, Fiest’s “competitive spirit” was a major key to the team’s success this year.

“She pushed the level of intensity at every practice and challenged her teammates to perform every drill as if we were in the championship game,” Wilson said. “[The] never-give-up attitude she modeled in practice helped build our team to perform at the highest level during big games.”

The Tigers are no strangers to big games, having appeared in three consecutive Class 3 state championship games and winning the last two. All three title games were played against Tabb’s longtime rival, Poquoson.

For Fiest, a sophomore on the 2020 state runner-up team, that familiarity — and history — has made the past two championship wins extra sweet.

“Last year, we kind of had a chip on our shoulder from losing in overtime to Poquoson [in the 2020 state championship],” she said. “We just always had Poquoson in the back of our heads and always wanting to prove that we can do it and we can beat them. ... It was really personal for everyone.”

Early in the season, Tabb faced Cape Henry in what Fiest described as a pivotal moment for the Tigers. Midway through the contest, Fiest and her teammates found themselves in the unfamiliar position of playing from behind 1-0.

Before that game in September, Fiest couldn’t “even remember the last time we were losing during a game,” she said. “Just showing that we fought back and we can build it up. It took a little while to get it in the back of the cage but we pulled out the win.”

The Tigers had to overcome the absence of senior midfielder Sydney Holbrook, who came back mid-season after recovering from an injury. The Tigers rotated different players in and out of that role until Holbrook returned during the region tournament.

“We came back with basically our whole team,” Fiest said. “We lost a few players but I think from August on, I knew that we had the strongest team we’ve had in a very long time. I think we just kept on progressing throughout the year. We played a lot of hard teams and we still came out on top.”

Tabb this defeated Cape Henry, which went on to win the VISAA Division II state championship; Great Bridge, which picked up a third consecutive Class 4 state championship; and Poquoson, which Tabb beat three times, including in the Class 3 state final. The Tigers also traveled to Pennsylvania for the Max Field Hockey High School National Invitational, where they went 2-0 against national competition.

“That shows how deep our roster was, and how everyone stepped into their roles,” said Fiest, adding that the team’s comfort and familiarity with each other helped to give them an additional edge. “I think we could play blindfolded and still pass to each other.”

Fiest, though, saidwinning All-Tidewater Field Hockey Player of the year honors wouldn’t have been possible without her fellow Tigers.

“I couldn’t do it without the team that I’m on. It’s nice to get recognized,” she said. “[With] all my hard work over the years, it’s nice for that. But it’s all because of my teammates.”

Sian Wilkerson, sian.wilkerson@pilotonline.com, 757-342-6616