LYNNFIELD — Monday was a special day for Lynnfield High School’s Jacqui Carbone.
The field hockey player signed her national letter of intent to play field hockey at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, surrounded by friends and family in the Lynnfield High School gymnasium.
“I’m really excited for next year,” she said. “I had a great season this year and I’m really looking forward to playing at the next level.”
The Hawks play in Division II and compete in the Northeastern 10 Conference.
Carbone said that she has a good relationship with St. Anselm head coach Carolyn King-Robitaille.
“She’s such a welcoming coach, ” said the Lynnfield High School student. “She’s really nice and she’s giving me the potential to play at that (next) level, and I think I can definitely live up to that and hopefully make an impact on the team next year.”
It was a special moment not only for the field hockey player, but also her parents, who watched along as she posed for pictures with friends and coaches.
“She’s worked so hard to get this far and it’s nice to see this accomplishment for her,” said Robert Carbone, her father. “We are just very proud that she’s going to be at a great school and a great program.”
Samantha Pindara, head coach of the Lynnfield field hockey team, couldn’t be happier for Carbone, who grew a lot as a player while a member of the Pioneers.
“Jacqui is an absolute leader on this team,” said the head coach. “Being able to watch her do this is super special. Those last four years she has worked so hard and (dealt) with the pandemic and everything else that impacted not only her high school season, but the whole recruitment process. The fact that she was able to really shine this season and in the offseason and to get this to happen is truly amazing.”
Carbone believes she became a better teammate while playing under Pindara.
“Just as a teammate and a captain this year, I definitely got to learn the leadership skills, the responsibilities, and everything to just be a good teammate,” said Carbone. “She (Pindara) is a great coach for me. She’s always there, very supportive. So that definitely helped.”
The decision to go to St. Anselm extends beyond the playing field for the Lynnfield resident.
“I love the campus,” said Carbone. “I toured it and I really felt like I could see myself there in the future, even aside from field hockey. It’s a great school, really great academics.”
