Jess dreamed of becoming a professional soccer player until she went to a field hockey clinic in the 5th grade with all of her friends. She was initially skeptical of the uniform skirt but quickly fell in love with the speed and intensity of the game.
Though Jess identifies most strongly as a midfielder, her first starting position in high school as a freshman was center back. Fortunately she moved to a mid position the following season and would continue in that role until college, when she found herself moving between forward and attacking center mid. Through it all, she has remained a big fan—and staunch advocate of—the C-pull. You'll often hear her saying to players "get the ball on your strong side!," "release the ball!!," and "get the shot off!"
When she isn't on the field, you can find Jess at UVA, where she is an Assistant Director of Undergraduate Advising, riding her e-bike around town with her partner, at a Club Pilates Charlottesville class, or playing pickleball. She also almost always has a book with her.
At Ascend, you'll find her working mostly closely with our U10, U12, and U14 age groups.
