Erin Boyle ’20,Cara Harty ’20,Lola Quigley ’20:
“If you had told me in sixth grade that field hockey would end up being my favorite sport, I never would have believed you,” said Corinne Zanolli ‘17, reflecting on her career in the sport. In third grade, she danced with The Pennsylvania Ballet and considered soccer her favorite sport. But, not wanting to give up regular school to pursue ballet, she quit. Then in sixth grade, Zanolli started playing field hockey. “I fell in love with the game and never looked back,” she said.
Though Zanolli’s start to the sport was not traditional, she has had many achievements on her school, local, and national teams. Zanolli committed to Stanford University for field hockey at the end of sophomore year. Since both athletics and academics are extremely important to her, she wanted to attend a college that suits her need for both. “A big part of my college decision was to make sure I was academically challenged, while being able to do what I love,” she said.
A large part of Zanolli’s career in field hockey has involved Episcopal’s program. Zanolli has started on Episcopal’s varsity team since freshman year, and is currently a captain. During Zanolli’s time on the team, the program has won both the PAISAA State crown and the Inter-Ac title in 2014 and 2015. Beyond her record with Episcopal’s team, Zanolli has also garnered various personal awards, including All Inter-Ac and All Main Line since her sophomore year, and All Delco since her junior year.
In addition to her playing ability, Zanolli’s leadership as captain has also affected Episcopal’s team. “Corinne is an incredible teammate and goes out of her way to help people improve their skills, while also improving the team spirit,” said teammate Bridget Boyle ‘18. Gina Buggy, Athletic Director and Head Coach of Episcopal’s Girls’ Varsity field hockey program, also emphasized Zanolli’s strong sense of teamwork: “She is a team player and she truly enjoys the team aspect of the sport,” says Buggy. “She is always hard-working, upbeat, energetic, talented, and competitive.”
However, Zanolli’s achievements in field hockey extend far beyond her impact on Episcopal’s program. In seventh grade she joined the WC Eagles, the number one ranked field hockey club in the country. She has played field hockey all over the world, including Germany, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, New Zealand, and China.
Competing at the national level, Zanolli has played for the USA U17 Junior National Outdoor Team and the U19 Junior National Outdoor Team. This summer, she was selected to play for the U21 Junior National Outdoor team. “We will begin training in December,” she said.
Travelling with the Junior National Outdoor teams is one of the many opportunities that field hockey has afforded Zanolli. “Field hockey has given me so many opportunities that I would never have had otherwise,” said Zanolli. “For example, I had not traveled outside the United States before I played field hockey,” she explained. “But going to Belgium was one of the most memorable experiences for me because it was the first time I put on the USA uniform.”
Zanolli described one of her favorite aspects of field hockey: “I love the bonding and experience that comes with something so hard, and I’ve made unbreakable friendships throughout the years because of it.” As she says, “It’s not about you, and it will never be about you. It’s all about the team.”