Blue Devil Athlete Spotlight: Hailey Jimenez (Field Hockey)
Leominster High School senior Hailey Jimenez is enjoying a terrific senior season on the field hockey field after missing all of last season with an ACL injury. Through hard work and determination, Jimenez rehabilitated her injury and returned to the game she loves.
A lifelong Leominster native, Jimenez first picked up a field hockey stick in seventh grade.
“I started playing in seventh grade when I made the middle school field hockey team,” Jimenez said. “My mother used to play and she wanted me to also play.”
Jimenez enjoys the challenge of field hockey and the constant opportunity to improve.
“I like the skill work that comes with field hockey,” Jimenez said. “I also like how difficult it is to perfect.”
She also appreciates the camaraderie and family-like atmosphere within the LHS field hockey program.
“The team is like a family,” Jimenez said. “Everyone feels free to be themselves and just have fun playing a sport that they enjoy.”
“Hailey is definitely a fierce competitor, but what really makes her special is the way she competes,” said varsity head coach Catherine Brow. “A couple weeks ago, two days after one of our games, an official reached out to me specifically because of the impression Hailey had made on her. She talked about Hailey’s grit, sportsmanship, competitiveness, and the way she carried herself on the field. Hailey plays incredibly hard, but she also respects the game, her opponents, and the officials. For an official to still be thinking about a high school athlete two days after a game, and to take the time to reach out to her coach to say so, speaks volumes about the kind of player and person Hailey is.”
Jimenez's competitiveness and the standard she sets on and off the field have also helped make her an important leader within the program. She credits Brow and her teammates with helping develop that mindset.
“One thing I have learned from Coach Brow is that if not everyone on the team is on the same page and fighting for the same goal then it will not work,” Jimenez said.
Although Jimenez does not plan to continue playing field hockey after high school, she looks forward to pursuing a future in interior design and real estate. She also plays for the Leominster flag football team. Outside of school and sports, she enjoys running and arts and crafts.
“My favorite class at LHS was Fitness and Empowerment with Mrs. Beaulac,” Jimenez said. “It was a great class to have.”
Jimenez's return from injury has been an important part of her senior season, but her impact on the program extends beyond the field. Her competitiveness, leadership, and character have made her a player Brow is proud to coach.
“More than anything, I hope Hailey knows how incredibly proud I am of her,” Brow said. “I have watched her experience some very difficult moments during her high school career, and I have watched her fight her way through every one of them. Getting to coach her again for her senior season is something I don’t take for granted.”