FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME

Callie Rogers ’24 has become one of the most accomplished field hockey players in Collegiate history.

By Weldon Bradshaw

WHEN COLLEGE COACHES seek recruits whom they consider good fits for their programs, they place a high premium on dynamic, talented, coachable athletes possessed of a strong work ethic and a team-first-over-personal-accolades mentality.

Callie Rogers ’24, a Collegiate Junior, field hockey team captain and midfielder par excellence, checks all those boxes, so it’s no wonder, then, that she’s emerged as one of the top prospects in the nation among players from the Class of 2024.

“They [recruiters] look for someone who can make an impact their Freshman year,” says Cougars’ coach Kelsey Smither, a highly recruited hockey standout at Lakeland High School (Suffolk) and Old Dominion University and an assistant at both Ball State and Georgetown before coming to Collegiate in 2021.

“Callie has an incredible passion for field hockey. She wants to play at a high level, and she’s in somewhat of a unique situation where I think she can go wherever she wants to go.”

Callie was introduced to hockey when her sister Cameron, who’s eight years older, began playing in Middle School.

When Callie was about seven, she joined the Panthers United Field Hockey Club and has remained with the organi- zation ever since. She eventually stepped back from swimming, her other passion, and directed her athletic focus to hockey with an inner drive, even at a young age, to become the best practitioner of the sport she could be.

Over the years, she’s competed in more elite camps and national tournaments than she can count, amassed a slew of honors and earned a spot on the U16 U.S. Women’s National Team. A four-year varsity starter at Collegiate, she received All-League of Independent Schools, AllVISAA and All-Metro citations in 2019 and 2021.

This fall, Callie accounted for 85 points (22 goals, four assists) in 22 games. (In March, Callie was named to the 2023 U.S. U-18 Women’s National Tour Team.)

So how has Callie become one of the most accomplished players in Collegiate history? Athletic ability, of course, but the intangibles as well: effort, dedication to excellence, a never-quit attitude and the all-forone, one-for-all desire to be part of a meaningful, bigger-thanself endeavor.

Those who have seen her play describe her as a smart, instinctive player who can go one-on-one with an opponent, deliver deftly-placed passes at just the right instant and, in so doing, make her teammates better. She practices and plays at full throttle. She never backs down from a challenge.

As gifted as she is and successful as she has become, Callie conveys a refreshing air of humility and wonderment that belies her fierce competitive spirit. Indeed, talking to her, you get the sense that she’s quite content to let her actions rather than her words speak for her.

“I love being part of a team,” she says. “It’s fun to be with a group of girls who all share a love for the game. I’ve always had a great time playing field hockey because there’re so many things you can do. It’s hard work to score a goal. I really like to focus on the attack mentality when I play, using your teammates in the midfield and then just generating goals from that.”

Callie is a student of the sport who doesn’t have an off-season. She often trains on her own when few are around to see, studies film of Collegiate games, and views college games either in person, on television or online.

“Whenever you watch a college game,” she says, “it’s basically watching a whole field of role models who are older than you and more skilled than you. Watching them can show you a side of the game you maybe haven’t reached and can give you a goal to strive for.”

What it boils down to is that all aspects of field hockey speak loudly to Callie. She finds joy in what some might call “the grind.” She enjoys the camaraderie. She’s driven to improve and never rests on laurels, though she has received many. Mainly, she just has fun.

“Field hockey is an awesome sport,” she says. “I love it.”