GAME ON: The Player - Hannah Saris

GAME ON: The Player - Hannah Saris

Hannah Saris, 11th grade at Moses Brown School- The Player Interview

What has been the biggest challenge being a high school athlete?

My biggest challenge has been to achieve 12 varsity letters at a school that has a strong focus on athletics. My freshman year, I made varsity tennis, basketball, and lacrosse. My sophomore year, I decided that I wanted to start field hockey. I had never picked up a stick and I didn’t even know what the “circle” was (embarrassing). This was a huge challenge because Moses Brown field hockey is one of our top D1 sports. After a long (emphasis on the LONG) few weeks of “pre-pre-season” and preseason, I finally learned most of the rules and I made the varsity team. Looking back, I’m so happy that I switched my fall sport from tennis to field hockey because field hockey is definitely more helpful for lacrosse.

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Who is your biggest motivator?

My biggest motivator has been my dad. Whether I’m at a tournament in Maryland or Florida, he’s definitely not afraid to tell me when I’ve completely embarrassed myself in front of college coaches or if I’ve done well. He’s great.

Who is your biggest rival?

Every game is a big game. It doesn’t matter who I’m playing because I can always improve. For high school lacrosse, I would say Wheeler is our biggest rival because although we are across the street, our rivalry is a tradition in all sports. For club lacrosse, Revolution Lacrosse is our biggest rival, as MassElite (my club team) and Rev are two of the top teams from Massachusetts.

What are you working on to improve your game?

I’m mainly working on my strength. Although I am not a small player because I have an average build for the sport, I could always use more strength. At the next level in college, the girls will be stronger, faster, and all around better. Therefore, I need to be prepared to give it my all.

What is your greatest memory on the field?

My greatest memory was definitely during the quarterfinals in field hockey this year. I scored both goals in our 2-0 win over North Kingstown and then had my picture taken with my tongue sticking out in celebration. For a lacrosse memory, I finished last year’s season leading the whole state in points by over 20. That was pretty sweet.

How are you able to balance your schoolwork with practices, games, and training?

My school, Moses Brown, has been understanding of my recruitment process and all of my teachers have been helpful regarding missed class time to visit schools, play in tournaments, etc. In terms of athletics, playing three varsity sports has been my biggest challenge. It causes me to be super organized with schoolwork because my grades are just as important as my lacrosse skill. As for training, I lift two times a week on my own after practice and then I work with my trainer on Saturdays.

Where do you see yourself going from here, do you plan to pursue this sport in college?

I have recently made a commitment to play D1 lacrosse.