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Stoner emerges as a leader
Jamie Stoner moves the ball during Loyola's game against North Shore Country Day on Oct. 3. | Joe Cyganowski~For Sun-Times Media
Updated: November 12, 2012 11:36AM
Jamie Stoner didn’t come to Loyola with any experience in field hockey.
She picked up the sport for something to do in the fall of her freshman year.
Now, Stoner is a team captain and looking to play field hockey in college. The senior midfielder is in her third year with the varsity club.
“I’m enjoying this season very much,” said Stoner, who lives in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. “A lot of the girls look up to me. I think it’s because I worked hard to get where I am today, and I am so proud of that.”
The Ramblers carried a 13-3 record into this week in non-tournament games after beating North Shore Country Day 5-1 on Oct. 3 and Deerfield 4-0 on Friday.
Stoner, one of three captains along with seniors Colleen Mahoney and Katherine Eilers, scored three goals in the two wins to raise her team-leading total to 20. She came into the week with three hat tricks.
“Having a new coach and some new players, it was hard to connect as a team in the beginning,” said Stoner, one of nine senior starters. “The past few weeks, though, we’ve really come together and are working so well. We definitely feel like we can go far in the playoffs.”
Loyola, which is coached by Annie Nimz, was scheduled to close out the regular season this week with a game Wednesday against Woodlands Academy and Thursday against Glenbard West. The state playoffs start later next week. The semifinals are Oct. 26 and the championship game is Oct. 27.
“Everyone has been playing well for us this season,” said Nimz, who’s in her first season with the program after spending four seasons coaching the JV team at Glenbrook South. “We have 10 seniors on our team, and they are all good players for us.”
While a lot of the Loyola girls who play field hockey also play lacrosse, Stoner isn’t one of them anymore. She stopped playing lacrosse after her sophomore season. Stoner wants to play field hockey in college, and she’s considering Central Michigan and Centre College, a Division III program in Danville, Ky.
“Things have been working out so well for me in high school that I’d love to be part of a college team,” Stoner said. “I’ve gotten so much better over the years that I’d love to keep that going for four more years.”
